A few thoughts on Chuck Schumer and whether he’ll continue as leader in the Senate. One important detail. Senate leadership works differently from House leadership. Majority Leader isn’t a constitutional position. So unlike the House where it’s a public vote and you need a majority of the body, in the Senate, it’s a secret ballot and Schumer needs only a majority of his caucus. So a handful of defections won’t settle this.
I said multiple times over the last two years that while I think highly of Schumer, he’s not characterologically or generationally suited to the moment. The big question that faces us today isn’t ideological, “centrists” vs. progressives, it’s fight vs. accommodation. Or, put differently, are we in a normal period of American history in which regular order should prevail or are we in an ongoing national emergency? Schumer thinks in terms of the first and not the second.
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