Sen. Chuck Schumer (left) and Sen. John Fetterman (right).
Vantage Point Vignette
Comments and Commentary by Dr. Ron Daniels
It was shocking, shameful and demoralizing to witness a handful of nervous, spinless Democrats in the Senate, led by shaky Schumer (Senate Minority Leader) and fearful Fetterman, (Senator from Pennsylvania vote for a Republican spending bill that will increase wasteful defense spending and cut billions from social safety net programs that serve poor and working people. President Trump whipped what is generally a raucous, chaotic and undisciplined House Republican Caucus in line. All but one Republican voted for a bill that is really designed to squeeze resources from the poor as a prelude to a big “beautiful” bill that will award a huge tax cut to billionaires. To his credit, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was able to hold the line as every Democratic Representative, except one, voted against this disastrous bill.
But Democrats failed to hold the line in the Senate, where a weak-kneed minority of Democrats broke ranks and voted for a bill to make billionaires richer because they were afraid that a government shut down would give Trump more power to fire thousands of government employees with no restraints or accountability, inflicting more pain on working- class and middle-class families. These nervous Democrats were fearful, scared that the Democrats would be blamed.
This was pathetically weak reasoning and flawed strategy by shaky Schumer and fearful Fetterman). Last time I checked, the MAGA mad Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House. It’s not the Democrats fault if the Republicans want to rob the poor to enrich the rich! Democrats are not obligated to be complicit with this amoral cabal in its scheme and scam, by voting for a bill that will inflict more pain on the American people!
Because of the Closure Rule, 60 votes are required to pass a bill in the Senate. The MAGA mad Republicans do not have 60 Senators, therefore they need votes from the Democrats. This gives Democrats leverage to negotiate to protect the interests of poor and working people and advance some of their priorities. By caving rather than having courage, shaky Schumer and fearful Fetterman are inadvertently complicit in inflicting more pain on the constituencies, the people that the Democrats should be fighting to protect.
A sound and principled strategy would have been, should have been to call Trump’s bluff and let him and his MAGA mad pro-billionaire lackeys bare the blunt of the blame for shutting down the Government. Short term pain for long term, sustained gain. The American people would have understood who was/is responsible for advancing schemes that will dramatically increase pain in their daily lives.
A sound and principled strategy. Let the charlatans who are callously inflicting the pain, feel the pain of outraged poor and working people who are clear that Barney and Bailey-like MAGA politicians are selling “snake oil.” They are shysters who are sacrificing the interests of the poor in favor of shamelessly enriching the rich and the superrich. Shaky Schumer, fearful Fetterman and the compliant few missed a huge opportunity to stand up, fight back and hold the line for masses of the people.
