He’s a front man at his core--a Pez dispenser of talking points. No one in politics cares more about media coverage than Chuck Schumer
Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower. Senate minority leader as of 2017.. This is an established fact.
The best training that a Democratic professional communicator can get is to work in the Schumer press shop, because it is outstanding training. It is also borderline un-survivable, as he goes through flacks rapidly.
Part of the reason it’s so demanding is that Schumer’s standard operating procedure in New York is to hold weekly Sunday pressers. While his colleagues and their staff members are with their families, in bed, or at church, Schumer is earning media this Sunday, next Sunday, and every Sunday after that for eternity.
He drives the news in New York. He drives the news nationally. He sets the agenda for the week.
But the job of Senate Democratic Leader is not a press job. That is just a small part of what the job requires, but it is far more comprehensive than that. You are your conference’s leader, and you are responsible for legislative strategy and outcomes. You want to grow your majority. You must heed the base, but also protect vulnerable members. You must find unity, wherever you can. In short, you must deliver.
With the results of the 2016 election behind us, Democrats have 48 Senators in their conference, more than enough to throw their weight around.
When the 60-vote Senate legislative threshold is needed, the Trump administration and the Senate GOP majority are going to need eight Democratic votes, and I believe that will be difficult in the early months.
However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them...
Schumer has already made two significant mistakes:
1. He stood by former Senate Minority Leader Reid’s unwise and shortsighted use of the "nuclear option," which reduced the threshold for nominees and all judges (except the Supreme Court) from 60 votes to 51. I predict that this decision singlehandedly will result in confirmation of the entire Trump cabinet and in confirmation of the next generation of conservative judicial stars (or future Supreme Court nominees).
2. His complete lack of knowledge of how the Senate works was on display as the confirmation hearing timetable for Cabinet nominees was announced. Did he forget that the Majority sets the schedule? Senate Majority Leader McConnell outfoxed Schumer by loading up nominees on the same days, to divide and conquer Trump administration opponents and their media allies.
The Senate minority will keep trying to slow things down, but as the clock ticks, the ten Democratic incumbents up for reelection in states that Trump won will feel the heat.
Will they stick by a Democratic conference led by a press hound with no strategy? Or will they protect their own careers?