Chuck Schumer is in hot water again. After eight Senate Democrats broke ranks and joined Republicans to move closer to ending the government shutdown late Sunday night, leftist members of the caucus are openly questioning whether Schumer should remain as their leader.
Senators voted 60-40 to advance the continuing resolution for debate, officially ending the filibuster. While Schumer himself voted against it, calling the situation a "Republican-made health care crisis," that wasn't enough to save him from the fury of his colleagues. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) declared that Schumer "is no longer effective and should be replaced." Khanna questioned whether Schumer had even fought for provisions to address skyrocketing healthcare premiums before letting the bill move forward.
As we previously covered here at PJ Media, the Democrats pretty much got nothing out of this deal, save for a promise to vote on Obamacare subsidies in December, which Republicans still aren’t going to vote for. Sen. Bernie Sanders was particularly incensed, offering his usual apocalyptic predictions. But, he also tied the vote to what he sees as Democrats ignoring voter demands to resist President Donald Trump.
Rep. Adam Schiff posted a video echoing the same talking points, stating the bill fails to lower health insurance costs or protect people with pre-existing conditions. He and Schumer both labeled the shutdown a "Republican health care crisis," which is rich considering that zero Republicans voted for Obamacare in the first place. Democrats wrote the expiration of the subsidies they're now desperately trying to extend, but apparently, pointing that out doesn't fit the narrative.
Related: Democrats Finally Caved and Lost Everything in the Shutdown Showdown
Sen. Chris Murphy took his frustration to social media as well, warning that caving to the spending bill could strengthen President Trump. In a video message, Murphy said Democrats need to resist bullying and fight for health care and democracy, even when it's politically painful. "I'm angry about it," Murphy said. "And I'm just gonna get up tomorrow and go to work to try to convince all of my colleagues that this is a unique moment—and the necessity to stand and fight, even when it's hard, even when it involves pain, is necessary."
Despite all the hand-wringing and dramatic speeches, Schumer and his allies insisted they've been pushing for meaningful health care reforms for weeks. Schumer pledged to keep fighting, and Sanders vowed to continue pushing for expanded health care access. But words only go so far when your own caucus members are publicly calling for your replacement.
It makes sense. In the classic novel The Maltese Falcon, Detective Sam Spade explains that every scheme needs a fall guy — a scapegoat who takes the blame to protect others. That’s exactly Chuck Schumer’s role now. When you can't hold your own members together and the bill passes anyway, all the finger-pointing in the world won't change the fact that you failed to keep your caucus together. Despite his symbolic vote against reopening the government, he’s become the convenient target for his party’s chaos. Now Schumer’s the one absorbing the fallout to shield party leadership from real accountability.
Schumer is learning the hard way that theatrics and blame-shifting only work when your caucus is united. Right now, they're anything but. And now, he is facing a rebellion. His own party is questioning whether he has what it takes to lead them through the current political landscape. Whether or not he survives this latest crisis remains to be seen, but we can see one thing: The knives are out, Chuck Schumer is the target, and the entire party is now in chaos.
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