Schumuck

Now that I think of it, I do have a few words of my own about Charles Schumer's decision to give Donald Trump and Elon Musk what they wanted by supporting a continuing resolution for the rest of the 2025 fiscal year's budget with severe cuts and with full presidential authority on tariffs.  Let me be as succinct as possible.

Schumer, as Senate Democratic leader had two choices, both bad.  He could either support a continuing budget resolution sent over to the Senate from the House crafted by Republicans with House Democrats frozen out despite the Republicans' paper-thin House majority, a resolution that ceded most if not all power over the budget and other issues to Trump and Musk, or he could have rejected it and let the government shut down, which would have given Trump and Musk just as much leeway to impose their collective will on the federal government as with a continuing resolution - if not more so - and ultimately seen Trump and Musk get their way, but in the latter scenario, the Democrats still would have gone down fighting.  In other words, Schumer had to choose between caving and fighting a losing battle.  He chose to cave.  When the 2026 budget is debated later this year, he will fight a losing battle.  If, indeed, the Democrats have any more opportunities left to fight. Schumer may have squandered the last one, plus any leverage Democrats may have had in the minority in both chambers.

And yet Schumer is still under the illusion that this fight is about spending priorities and policy, not the fight to prevent Trump from assuming dictatorial powers that it is.  To demonstrate just how clueless Schumer is, he thinks that his personal relations with Republican senators are strong enough that he can cut a deal with a couple of them when they're together in the Senate gym while riding their stationery bikes.

Me and the boys,  just me and the boys!

Liberal Oklahoma City podcaster Jennifer Welch's response to Schumer's perceived ability to cut a deal with GOP senators in his gym shorts was to simply demand in the second party that he resign as Senate Democratic leader.

Also House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.  I, for one, never thought I'd see so littel fight and street smarts in two guys from Brooklyn. 

Is it any wonder that the Democrats have a record-low 28 percent approval rating?