I’ve long thought that Chuck was a fairly bright guy. This week, I’m reconsidering that opinion. Yesterday, Sen. Schumer told Republicans that passing tax reform will haunt them in 2018 and in elections to come.
Specifically, Sen. Schumer said “There will be unintended consequences. The rush to get something, anything done will haunt my Republican colleagues in years to come, and — I dare say — in 2018.” That’s such total BS that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. When was the last time Republicans lost seats after passing tax cuts?
Later, Sen. Schumer said “We hear from the other side professing they want to work in a bipartisan way, but every step they take takes away bipartisanship. Unfortunately, the majority leader has taken steps this year to remove any hint of bipartisanship. This has been a very partisan bill. That’s why it’s not a great product. That’s why the other side is rushing it through. This is not a proud day for this chamber, and history will show that.”
That isn’t likely. If Democrats are all-obstruction-all-the-time, they’ll be the ones hurt in 2018. Yesterday, Senate Democrats voted with Sen. Schumer against starting debate on the Senate’s tax bill. Further, Democrats haven’t offered an alternative to President Trump’s tax plan.
Earlier in the week, Sen. Schumer and Rep. Pelosi didn’t show up for a budget negotiating meeting at the White House:
That gave President Trump the opportunity to criticize them:
With that being said, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi did not show up for our meeting today. I’m not really that surprised. We have a lot of differences. They’re weak on crime, they’re weak on illegal immigration. They want the illegal folks to come pouring into our border and a lot of problems are being caused, although we’ve stopped it to a large extent as much as you can without the wall, which we’re going to get.
That picture will haunt Democrats in 2018. The ads virtually write themselves.
Democrats think that they can retake the majority with increased turnout in East Coast states. A year from now, they’ll be back wondering what they have to do to win. I’ll give them that answer right now. They’ll have to actually start doing things. Obstructing alone won’t work because you can’t beat something with nothing.
The flaw in their strategy is signing onto the Resistance Movement. Doing nothing is bad enough. Doing everything possible to prevent judges and cabinet officers from getting confirmed is the definition of obstructionist. That’s worse.
Consumer confidence is high:
Unemployment is dropping. GDP is surging. That’s a positive agenda that Republicans can proudly run on. Democrats can’t tout anything as an accomplishment.
If Sen. Schumer keeps making decisions like this week’s, he soon won’t even be able to filibuster. That isn’t too bright.
