The fight over the continuing resolution (CR) cracks me up because as Rep. Thomas Massie pointed out, the CR is a “Continuation of the Biden-Schumer-Johnson 2024 spending agenda for the first 9 months of Trump’s presidency.”
The CR is awful. It keeps the spending without making the DOGE cuts permanent.
The GOP rebelled against it then and now loves it, and the Democrats loved it then and are now rebelling against it.
Well, most. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caused an explosion on Thursday night when he said he would vote for it.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) led the charge, slamming Schumer for aligning with the Republicans and trying to rally other Democrat Senators to join him.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked AOC if she would consider Schumer. She danced around the question as politicians often do with questions. But reading between the lines…you can guess yes:
I think that what we need right now is a united Senate Democratic caucus that can stand up for this country and not vote for cloture and not vote for this bill, and I think that the strength that we have is in this moment.Reconciliation and all of these Republicans do not need Democratic votes for that. They need it for this [break the filibuster] and so the strength of our leadership in this moment is going to demonstrate the strength of our caucus and I cannot urge enough how bad of an idea it is to empower and enable Donald Trump and Elon Musk in this moment. It is dangerous and it is reckless.
In Leesburg, VA, reporters also asked AOC if the Senate Democrats need new leadership.
AOC replied: “We have time to correct course on this decision. Senate Democrats can vote no. We can correct course, and that is the most important thing in front of us right now.”
AOC also told reporters, “There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal. And this is not just about progressive Democrats, This is across the board — the entire party.”
The Republicans need eight Democrats to reach 60 votes to break the filibuster.
CNN reported colleagues have been urging AOC to primary Schumer:
Privately, House Democrats are so infuriated with Schumer’s decision that some have begun encouraging her to run against Schumer in a primary, according to a Democratic member who directly spoke with Ocasio-Cortez about running at the caucus’ policy retreat. Multiple Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and others directly encouraged Ocasio-Cortez to run on Thursday night after Schumer’s announcement, this member said.The member said that Democrats in Leesburg were “so mad” that even centrist Democrats were “ready to write checks for AOC for Senate,” adding that they have “never seen people so mad.”Asked by CNN about fellow Democrats encouraging her to challenge Schumer, Ocasio-Cortez declined to answer and said she was focused on keeping Democrats from backing the funding bill: “We still have an opportunity to correct course here, and that is my number one priority.”
I doubt it would work. We have learned that humans are creatures of habit. No matter how much they complain, they keep reelecting these people. Why else has Congress become an old people nursing home!?
The average age in the House is 57.5 years.
Lots of Gen X in the House! We are the best generation, but like the Boomers, we have grown disappointed in our generation. My dad still complains how much his generation in the government has let him down.
The average age in the Senate is 64.7 years.
The average has gone down but it’s still not good.
Also, AOC is far left. Regular and moderate Democrats would not choose her over Schumer.
Thing is, Schumer rolled because he knows Democrats would take a bigger hit if the government shut down. His New York colleague Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sounds like she will vote for the CR or at least to break the filibuster.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he would vote for the CR if the House approved it:
“We don’t agree with what’s been sent to us but, you know, if we withhold our votes, that is going to shut the government down,” Fetterman told host Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC Tuesday evening.“And I think that’s one of our core responsibilities in the Senate or in the government here, to not ever … allow the government to shut down,” he added.
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