Posted on 11/15/2006 12:12:55 PM PST by Liz
Exultant Chuck Says He’ll Veto the Next Alito; New King of Washington Promises Moderate Court; Rove-like, Plans Permanent Democratic Majority; More N.Y. Homeland Money, Iraqi Federalism
More than the inability to influence Iraq policy or the President’s tax cuts, Chuck Schumer says that the single greatest failure of the Democrats as an opposition party was allowing Samuel Alito to join the Supreme Court.
“Judges are the most important,” said Mr. Schumer, who orchestrated the implausible Democratic takeover of the Senate last week. “One more justice would have made it a 5-4 conservative, hard-right majority for a long time. That won’t happen.”
From now on, all the President’s judicial appointments will need to meet the requirements of Mr. Schumer, the Park Slope power broker who has happily accepted the mantle of chief architect for the Democrats’ effort to build a majority for the 2008 elections and beyond.
The Senator also intends, in the coming months, to rework the federal government’s funding priorities in New York’s favor, to steer the Democrats toward a radically new position on Iraq and, while he’s at it, to cement his position as the unofficially declared tactical guru for the national party.
And in case anyone’s wondering, yes, Mr. Schumer is entirely comfortable with this sort of power.
With his Gold Toe–stockinged feet dangling, the 55-year-old slumped in his armchair on Friday morning as if it were a leather throne. On his apartment’s front door, a neighbor taped up a front page of The New York Times heralding the Democrats’ success and scrawled “Congratulations Schumers!” across the cover.
The candidates that Mr. Schumer recruited, groomed and bankrolled had won a comprehensive victory over the incumbent Republicans, giving the Democrats a narrow majority in the Senate to complement a rout in the House. Since the election, Mr. Schumer has been awash in attention from the media, his Democratic colleagues and even from the President, who called, quite sportingly, soon after the results were finalized.
For Mr. Schumer, who was installed on Tuesday as Vice Chairman of the Democratic caucus and officially reinstated as head of the DSCC, the attention couldn’t be coming at a better time.
“I am writing a book, about how to build a permanent—a long-term majority,” Mr. Schumer said during an early-morning interview in the pink den of his apartment near Grand Army Plaza. He sat between a view of lower Manhattan and portraits of Democratic icons Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Al Smith. “I generally have an eye toward longer-term strategy and politics, and I think my colleagues rely on me for that.”
His book, Positively American: Winning Back the Middle Class Majority One Family at a Time, will be released right around the President’s State of the Union address, and will fit neatly into the role that Mr. Schumer now envisions for himself as tactician in chief for the newly ascendant Democrats.
“I’ve always had some influence, and I guess now, because of what we’ve been able to accomplish, I have some more influence,” Mr. Schumer said. “So when I say we shouldn’t do this or we should do that, I guess people will pay a little more attention. Or go along with it, even if they don’t agree.”
Certainly, the party wasn’t united behind Mr. Schumer’s election strategy this year. He championed a traditional approach: directing the bulk of the party’s financial and logistical resources toward handpicked candidates in a few competitive races. Howard Dean, who heads the Democratic National Committee, advocated a “50-state strategy,” spreading money around toward the longer-term goal of making the party viable even in areas that have been Republican strongholds.
After the victory—the Democrats picked up six Republican-held seats and defended every Democratic one—Mr. Schumer hardly seemed ready to concede the point.
“Fifty-state is a good thing to do, but it didn’t help us in this election,” said Mr. Schumer. “My only disagreement with Howard is that he should help us fund taking back the majority, because it would make a difference with things like the Supreme Court. And he came through—he ended up giving us $7.5 million. We tried the honey approach rather than the vinegar approach, and it worked.”
--SNIP--
Who says the words chosen to make a point are not important? He wants the American people to think the "right" is the "hard-right".
This smug "man" may have absolutely nothing to say about, and I am going to pray to that end every single day.
This is also proof positive that for the Democrats, who cannot jam their agenda down the throats of the public in elections, the courts are their only vehicle to achieve their ends. This election proved this, among other thing. They cannot run hard left candidates and win UNLESS they disguise them as "moderates". To this day, I do not know what a "moderate" is!!
Nancee
BUMP!!!
They need another John Roberts, i.e. someone with a record, but not too much of one, who is incredibly smart and makes the D's look stupid during questioning.
If we have one or two more Roberts waiting in the wings, we'll be fine. If not, we're in trouble, because we can't get another Alito.
no, they RAN as Dem moderates. that has nothing to do with how they will vote as part of the Dem majority.
The voters who voted for these "moderate" Dems - are suckers plain and simple. Especially the evangelicals who crossed over.
Does anyone really think that Bob Casey Jr is going to lead the charge for a Bush appointed pro-life justice to replace Ginsburg or Stevens?
it would be Diane Sykes, that would be my choice for someone who who have a chance at being confirmed.
Chuckie Cheese Schmucker needs to be knocked down a few pegs. His lies and weekly Sunday press conferences are enough to cause most non-followers to get ill.
Read up on her. Sounds like a good pick to me if she can do well in the hearing. I wish Roberts could do every hearing. He looked like he was schooling 4 year olds when the D's asked him questions. He made them look really, really dumb. It was amazing.
I do not think that Specter is agreeable, ever; muchless acceptable! I also do not believe that Specter conducts himself and the hearings the way he does to come across as "agreeable". He does it becuase there is no such thing as a "moderate". Arlen Specter, in my opinion, is a liberal!!!
We lost Senator Santorum because he does not masquarade as that which he is not. But we will have to dynamite Specter to get rid of him, ever! This is just the sad truth!
Nancee
"We" still don't get it with a large number here talking about voting third party in '08.
Depending on the definition of the word "is" is? :-)
For the left, a moderate is a professional liar. For the right, a moderate is a RINO.
Hard Right and Hard Left is a driving lesson.
Noodle Right and Noodle Left, we gotta ask Martha Stewart.
Yes, but it is absolutely critical that nobody with a "D" after their name gets to live at 1600 Pennsylvania in '09. Perish the thought, but I think that I'd vote for even McStain or Gun-ban Rudy to keep Hitlery out. I guess that kind of defines "broken glass Republican." But I promise that I'll fight to keep those 2 guys off the ticket.
Oh, wait a minute ... Harriet who?
OOOHHHH I like that idea!! You just brightened my day with that thought!
For a senior Senator to announce how he intends to vote on an iminently qualified USSC nominee, before the nominee is even named, reveals how petty and partisan they truly are.
It also should tell everyone that everything they say about a "new tone" and "bi-partisanship" is all lies. Flat out horse pucky.
Dream on.
Do you know how many Republican Senators opposed feminist communist Ruth Bader Ginsberg in 1993?
Somebody's going to get accused of murder.
I have checked the list of possible appointees, and there are no more Aliotos. Chuck needn't worry that he would have to compromise his principles should he ever find them.
There is absolutely no one any where on this earth who could have put it so well! You are "novel"; that's what you are!
"For the left, a moderate is a professional liar."
Without question!!!
"For the right, a moderate is a RINO."
Convince me!
"Hard Right and Hard Left is a driving lesson."
LOL LOL
Let's leave the inimitable Bill Clinton and Martha out of this; neither contributes much!I do hope you are able to hit a couple more of the pings I have left you! Why?
Because though I have laughed today, you seem to be able to make me howl!! Free therapy after a rough election. Thanks!!
Nancee
I think I forgot that we were majority in the Senate during Clinton years. Wow we really wasted many years than. That is a shame.
I agree, Stevens and Ginsburg didn't want to retire before, now you can imagine them taking the bait...Bush staffers, Janice Rogers Brown or Miguel Estrada are who you're looking for...If Schumer vetoes one, send up the other, if he vetoes again, make a big deal of it before the election and leave the seat vacant.
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