Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Chuck Schumer inadvertently reveals spin
With reporters listening, the New York senator mistakenly tells his colleagues which talking point to use
Sen. Chuck Schumer Senator Chuck Schumer, loudmouthed New York Democrat and incorrigible publicity hound, accidentally revealed his super-top-secret talking points to a bunch of reporters while he was… on a conference call with a bunch of reporters. Before the call was scheduled to begin, Schumer was instructing his fellow senators on what to say to the press, which I’m sure his fellow senators really appreciated, because they totally have no idea how to competently deliver simple talking points to reporters:
After thanking his colleagues — Barbara Boxer of California, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Tom Carper of Delaware and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — for doing the budget bidding for the Senate Democrats, who are facing off against the House Republicans over how spending for the rest of the fiscal year, Mr. Schumer told them to portray John Boehner of Ohio, the Speaker of the House, as painted into a box by the Tea Party, and to decry the spending cuts that he wants as extreme. “I always use the word extreme,” Mr. Schumer said, “That is what the caucus instructed me to use this week.”
Then everyone realized people were listening and went quiet, out of embarrassment, until the call officially “began,” at which point the senators dutifully delivered their talking points.
This talking point about Boehner being caged in by “extreme” elements in his party is at least a plausible interpretation of observable reality — in other words it’s perfectly legitimate spin — so I wouldn’t expect too much fallout from this. (Until someone from a Breitbart site or The Daily Caller or some even stupider outlet decides this is proof of Soros-funded High Treason against the Constitution, anyway.) It’s funny to hear Schumer explicitly say that the caucus told him to use that one particular word, and then to hear a bunch of adult U.S. senators use that word. It should please conservatives to learn, again, that Democrats are so incompetent at basic political messaging.
Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Schumer claims progress in late-night budget talks
N.Y. senator says Tea Party to blame if government shuts down
The Senate’s third ranking Democrat says there’s “a glimmer of hope” in talks to resolve a budget stalemate.
But at the same time, Sen. Chuck Schumer says the tea party will be to blame if negotiations fail and a government shutdown happens.
Schumer tells network interviewers he believes Republicans, driven by tea party supporters, are being unreasonable in the particular areas of federal spending that they want to cut. The New York senator tells NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that tea party-backed GOP lawmakers have demanded the cuts “be in a very small portion of the budget,” such as student aid, scientific research and public broadcasting. But he also says “some progress was made” in talks on Capitol Hill late Tuesday night between House Republicans and Senate Democrats.
Continue Reading CloseSenate rules reform won’t happen
A month after every Democrat signaled support for changes to the cloture rule, everyone gives up
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2011, file photo Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Asked on NBC television's "Meet the Press" being aired Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, if he believes the tea party will be a lasting political force, Reid said the movement emerged because of the country's economic problems, that the tea party will no longer exist when the economy improves, and that the economy is getting better every day. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)(Credit: Associated Press) A reasonable and popular measure with the support of a majority of senators has quietly died for no good reason, and the Senate’s very first official legislative “day” of the new Congress has not even finished yet. (Did you know that the Senate’s been in the middle of this one legislative day since Jan. 5? It’s true!) This time, the victim was Senate rules reform, because an attempt to deal with the unintended consequences of the previous stab at rules reform was deemed to be a violation of the rights of the minority as not at all enshrined in the Constitution, which doesn’t mention filibusters.
Continue Reading Close
Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Friday link dump: The yellow brick road
Ron Paul's priorities, Chuck Schumer's political cunning, and your Bernie Sanders questions answered
- Elected Republicans are much more conservative than the people who vote for them.
- Chuck Schumer successfully got his name in newspapers today.
- Ron Paul can’t wait to get us back to the gold standard.
- John Bolton has opinions about WikiLeaks.
- On Peter Orszag’s new job: “When we notice similar patterns in other countries — for instance, how many offspring and in-laws of senior Chinese Communist officials have become very, very rich — we are quick to draw conclusions about structural injustices”
- Is Bernie Sanders still talking?
Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Heroes, villains and cowards of the so-called “ground zero mosque”
Who's defended religious liberty, who's been too scared to, and who truly hates our founding principles?
Top left, clockwise: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Harry Reid, President Obama The bizarre, ginned-up controversy surrounding the Park51 project — a proposed Islamic community center, like the 92nd Street Y, including a space for worship, to be built at the site of an old Burlington Coat Factory (which is a store, not a factory) on Park Place in lower Manhattan, near, but not in sight of, the site of the World Trade Center — has exposed not just the blatant Islamophobia (and cheerful willingness to exploit bigotry) of many luminaries of the right, but also the cowardice of many supposed liberals. Just so we know where we stand, and using, as criteria for placement, my own inexact impressions of their public statements, I present the official War Room lists of “ground zero mosque” heroes, villains and cowards.
Continue Reading Close
Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Who will attend Charlie Rangel’s sold-out birthday party?
The embattled congressman promises speeches tonight from Andrew Cuomo and Chuck Schumer (but they won't confirm)
Andrew Cuomo, Charlie Rangel and Chuck Schumer Are you going to Representative Charlie Rangel’s birthday gala tonight? More importantly, are prominent New York Democrats?
Rangel’s birthday party is always a well-attended party, but most years the longtime congressman is not facing multiple ethics charges. Rangel’s campaign sent out a memo claiming that Senator Chuck Schumer and would-be Governor Andrew Cuomo will both be speaking at the gala at the Plaza Hotel. But neither Cuomo nor Schumer have confirmed their attendence.
Continue Reading Close
Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Page 1 of 6 in Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.