Progressives rally as pressure mounts to primary Schumer



Progressive lawmakers have hit the ground running, with Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York rallying alongside independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the swing state of Nevada. However, their efforts are being overshadowed by the most recent shutdown showdown, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is feeling the heat.

Ever since President Donald Trump took office, Democrats have worked overtime to make the DOGE and Elon Musk the focal point of their political attacks.

Most recently, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders held a joint rally in Nevada Thursday to "fight oligarchy," a sentiment that was embraced by onlookers. Coupled with the base's desire for a progressive party were calls to primary Schumer and shed old-guard Democrats.

The Democratic Party has lacked a political compass since its overwhelming defeat in November.

"Primary Chuck!" supporters shouted.

Schumer has caught a lot of heat over the last week after he caved and voted to advance a Republican-led continuing resolution after initially signaling that he was in favor of a shutdown. As a result of this reversal, several prominent Democrats like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) disavowed the move.

While Schumer has embarked on a media tour to mitigate the damage, the Democratic base has made calls for new representation.

“We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the rally. She also encouraged the crowd to vote for "brawlers," who she said "are the ones who can actually win against Republicans."

To her point, the Democratic Party has lacked a political compass since its overwhelming defeat in November.

Since then, the Democratic identity has diminished and the party has fractured, leading to irreconcilable differences between lawmakers like Schumer and Sanders, and it's these very differences that may cost them elections in the future.

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House Democrat takes shots at Schumer following shutdown fiasco: 'Maybe he needs to go'



Democrats on Capitol Hill are unhappy after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) mishandled last week's shutdown showdown, and they aren't hiding it.

Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland is the latest lawmaker to take shots at the party leader. While Schumer has spent the last few days in damage-control mode, Ivey told Politico Wednesday that Democrats "can’t afford to miss the moment again."

In response to the massive blowback, Schumer has spent the last few days on defense.

“If he can get himself together and come — you know, get right on this vote, and we get another shot at it, OK,” Ivey said. “But if he’s going to do the same thing again when this bill comes up six months from now, we can’t afford that.”

After the House passed the Republican-led funding bill on March 11, the Senate was tasked with keeping the government open before the March 14 deadline. In order to vote on the continuing resolution, the bill needed to clear a procedural vote called cloture, which required 60 votes.

In other words, Democrats had the decision to reach across the aisle and join Republicans to pass the funding bill, which was backed by President Donald Trump, or to dig their heels in and shut down the government.

Schumer initially signaled his support for a shutdown but later changed his position in favor of passing the CR to avoid a shutdown. Schumer argued that a shutdown would be worse than the funding bill, but his reversal sparked outrage throughout the Democratic Party. In the end, 10 Democrats joined 52 Republicans to advance the bill.

“We’ve got a limited number of shots at being able to fight back against the Trump administration and what they’re doing,” Ivey said. “We can’t afford to miss the moment again.”

Several prominent Democrats, like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), denounced Schumer's approach, and the rank and file largely felt the same. Ivey echoed his colleagues' concerns about Schumer, saying, "Maybe he needs to go."

“Hakeem met the moment last week,” Ivey said. “Schumer missed it.”

In response to the massive blowback, Schumer has spent the last few days on defense. Schumer postponed his book tour and spent the weekend doing several media hits in an attempt to preserve his reputation. Even still, Democrats aren't buying it.

“Everybody doesn’t have to do the same temperament, everybody doesn’t have to do the same messaging,” Ivey said, “as long as they’re doing what they need to do to win their seats.”

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Schumer tries to stay afloat as Democratic Party sinks



Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is scrambling to keep his career afloat following another disastrous week for Democrats.

Schumer's most recent political fiasco left Democrats more divided than ever. Last week, House Republicans passed their funding bill, which President Donald Trump endorsed, with all but one Democrat voting against it. Although the Trump-backed bill made it through, House Democrats were at least unified in their opposition.

But once the continuing resolution made its way to the Senate, Democrats changed their tune.

'We have a lot of good people,' Schumer said on CBS Tuesday. 'But I am the best at winning Senate seats.'

The Republican majority in the Senate needed Democratic support to ensure the CR cleared a procedural vote, ultimately averting a government shutdown. With the Friday deadline fast approaching, Democrats were left to decide if they wanted to throw their support behind the Trump-endorsed CR or to vote for a shutdown.

Schumer initially signaled his support for a shutdown, following in the footsteps of his colleagues in the House. But as the pressure mounted, Schumer reversed his position and said he would instead be voting to advance the CR. This decision sparked outrage within the Democratic Party, with prominent figures like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) denouncing the tactic. In the end, 10 Senate Democrats joined 52 Republicans to advance the funding bill.

Although Schumer averted a shutdown, his Democratic Party remained fractured.

In the aftermath, the Democratic Party's favorability dropped to record lows, and many pinned the blame on Schumer. The overall reception of last week's political theatre was so negative, Schumer even postponed his highly anticipated book tour until the dust settled.

Even still, Schumer attempted to assure Democrats that he was still the "best leader for the Senate."

"We have a lot of good people," Schumer said on CBS Tuesday. "But I am the best at winning Senate seats."

Schumer continued his damage-control media tour, making an appearance on "The View" Tuesday. When the hosts pressed him about his leadership, Schumer tried to pin the blame on Trump.

"I wake up at three in the morning sometimes so worried about the future of the country under these oligarchs!” Schumer said. "We are fighting them tooth and nail in every way that we can, but you've got to fight them smart."

"I felt an obligation to stop it," Schumer added.

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Democrats Should Definitely Keep Picking Fights They Can’t Win

Democrats have apparently decided that in place of advocating policies that might actually help Americans, they’re simply going to scream “No!” to everything President Trump does and hope something happens. It’s obviously working to stunning effect. And by “working,” I mean continuing to expose how deeply irrelevant they’re making themselves. The latest episode came Saturday […]

Anti-Schumerism in America: Senate Minority Leader Freezes Book Tour as Activists Call for His Resignation

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has postponed all promotional events this week for his upcoming book, Antisemitism in America: A Warning, as Democrats protest his decision to vote with Republicans to prevent a government shutdown.

The post Anti-Schumerism in America: Senate Minority Leader Freezes Book Tour as Activists Call for His Resignation appeared first on .

Senate Dems side with Schumer, sidestepping government shutdown



Senate Democrats caved and voted alongside Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), reaching across the aisle to pass the Republican-led continuing resolution Friday just hours before the funding deadline.

The CR advanced in a 62-38 vote, with 10 Democrats joining 52 Republicans to pass the funding bill.

In addition to Schumer, Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Gary Peters of Michigan, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted in support of the bill. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP senator to vote against the CR.

Although the CR passed the House with a simple majority on Tuesday, the Senate required 60 votes for the CR to clear a procedural hurdle known as cloture. Because Republicans hold just 53 seats, they needed Democrats to join them and avert a shutdown.

'Democrats must not buy in to this false choice. We must fight back for a better way.'

While Democrats ultimately aided Republicans, many were furious with Schumer and other senators who sided with him to pass a Trump-backed funding bill.

Democrats, including Schumer, initially signaled that they would vote in lockstep to sink the CR and shut down the government. Many Democrats also proposed an alternative 30-day funding extension, which would allow them to negotiate a different CR. But Democrats are the minority party in both the House and the Senate, making this an unrealistic option.

Schumer quickly pivoted from his original advocacy for a shutdown and instead urged his colleagues to pass the CR, arguing that a shutdown is worse than an unfavorable funding package.

"It's not really a decision; it's a Hobson's choice," Schumer said in a floor speech Thursday. "Either proceed with the bill before us, or risk Donald Trump rowing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse."

Schumer's reversal outraged his Democratic colleagues, sparking murmurs of potential primary challengers like Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

"I think it is a huge slap in the face, and I think that there's a wide sense of betrayal," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Thursday.

It wasn't just the rank and file who were upset with Schumer. Without explicitly naming him, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) both disavowed Schumer's approach.

"House Democrats will not be complicit," Jeffries said. "We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill under consideration in the Senate."

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America," Pelosi said in a statement Friday. "Let's be clear: Neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable."

"Democrats must not buy in to this false choice," Pelosi added. "We must fight back for a better way."

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Ex-CNN Analyst Gives 3 Reasons Why He Thinks Democrats ‘Caved’ On Gov’t Shutdown

'Schumer is sort of following the herd'

Two-faced Democrats push for shutdown to spite Donald Trump



The most recent continuing resolution spending bill has been highly praised by President Donald Trump — but not every Republican is falling in line.

Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has stood up against more government spending, which has now led to Trump calling Massie out on Truth Social.

Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” while usually on the same page as Massie, is having a hard time agreeing with him on this one.


“We are now at a crossroads,” Gonzales comments. “They’re going to need to make a decision on what to do in order to fund the programs that they’re doing now, which do include mass deportations, ICE crackdowns, DOGE going through all of these agencies and rooting out waste and fraud and corruption.”

“Before it was the Democrats just using our money like monopoly money, funding drag shows in Peru or whatever they were doing, and now I can at least say, like, you know what if the money goes to North Carolinians who have no homes because of a hurricane? I’m OK with that,” she continues.

While Trump faces opposition from Massie, it’s nothing compared to the opposition from the Democrats who are waving their hypocrisy like a flag.

“Democrats were always the ones when it was your toy money that they were playing with, sending it to everywhere else except this country. They were like, ‘We can never shut down the government, that would be the worst thing ever,’” Gonzales says, before playing clips of Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and AOC claiming a government shutdown would end horrendously for the American people.

“That was their position when they were doing literally nothing for the American people, and not even protecting you,” she continues. “They were doing the opposite. They were making you less safe through every single policy.”

“We’re deporting criminals, we’re eliminating waste, we’re actually making things right in this country again,” she says, adding, “And so for me, I’m like listen, if we can just continue and where there’s no raise in spending and we can keep doing the good work that he’s done, you’re kind of hamstringing him to not allow him to do that.”

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Democrat civil war brews as Schumer caves on looming shutdown



Democrats have once again found themselves in disarray as the party attempts to navigate the impending shutdown.

After the House Republicans passed their continuing resolution Tuesday almost along party lines, all eyes have been on Senate Democrats. In order to bring the CR to the floor, the Senate must first clear a procedural vote called cloture, which requires 60 senators to pass.

The GOP holds 53 seats, and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has already said he will vote against the CR, which means at least eight Democrats will have to reach across the aisle and vote to pass the bill if they want to avoid a shutdown. Up until yesterday, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat who said he would vote in favor of the CR.

'While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse.'

At the same time, the CR is studded with anomalies that Democrats have opposed, such as extra funds for ICE and cuts to community projects.

This leaves Democrats with a seemingly impossible choice to either fund the government with President Donald Trump's funding bill or shut it down altogether. While Republicans have remained relatively united, this conundrum is actively fracturing the Democratic Party.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) initially signaled that he was in support of a shutdown, with many other Democrats joining him and digging their heels in. But since then, Schumer has had an 11th-hour conversion, announcing Thursday evening that he would be voting in favor of the CR, sending the Democratic Party into a frenzy.

"It's not really a decision; it's a Hobson's choice," Schumer said in a floor speech. "Either proceed with the bill before us, or risk Donald Trump rowing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse."

President Trump later thanked Schumer on social media for demonstrating "courage" and pledging to support the CR.

"Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took 'guts' and courage! The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming. We should all work together on that very dangerous situation. A non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"Again, really good and smart move by Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning!"

High-profile Democrats immediately began to tear into Schumer following his reversal. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) called his decision a "betrayal," and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also expressed strong opposition without explicitly naming Schumer.

Some reports are even suggesting that Democrats will prop up primary opponents to unseat Schumer following his stunt.

"There are members of Congress who have won Trump-held districts in some of the most difficult territories in the United States, who walked the plank and took innumerable risks in order to defend the American people ... just to see some Senate Democrats even consider acquiescing to Elon Musk," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. "I think it is a huge slap in the face, and I think that there's a wide sense of betrayal."

"House Democrats will not be complicit," Jeffries said. "We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill under consideration in the Senate."

House and Senate Democrats originally devised an alternative funding bill that would extend funding for 30 days and theoretically allow them to craft a CR they could support. That being said, this strategy has been a tough sell for Democrats, as they are in the minority in both the House and the Senate, giving them little to no bargaining power.

Even still, Schumer's surrender has been a sore outlier for the Democratic Party, with several senators insisting that they won't cave the way their leader did. Some reports are even suggesting that Democrats will prop up primary opponents — perhaps even AOC — to unseat Schumer following his stunt.

So while House and Senate Democrats were left seething, Schumer seems keen on avoiding a shutdown. We will have to wait and see whether anyone else bends the knee.

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Jon Ossoff Bucks Schumer, Vows To Vote For Shutdown

'Sides with the most radical members of his party'