Democrats’ middle-class hypocrisy: Why omnibus will haunt them

[xchrom]

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/01/democrats_middle_class_hypocrisy_why_omnibus_will_haunt_them_partner/


Charles Schumer, U.S. Senator, who hails from Brooklyn (Credit: Reuters/Yuri Gripas)


Two weeks before New York Senator Charles Schumer once again delivered for Wall Street with the omnibus budget deal, he gave a major speech in which he sounded like a progressive champion. Schumer offered a stirring defense of government as the only force that can stand up to the private sector’s attack on the middle class, and argued that for Democrats to “roll to victory in 2016… First, we must convince Americans that government can be on their side and is not just a tool of special interests.”

Schumer is not just any Democrat. He led the successful election efforts for Democratic senators in 2006 and 2008, is number three in the Democratic Senate leadership, where he is responsible for policy and communications, and he sits on several of the most powerful Senate committees. His speech at the National Press Club on November 25 was billed as a major analysis of why Democrats did so badly in the midterms and how they should chart a path to victory in 2016.

Unfortunately, Schumer embodies the contradictions that will tear the Democratic Party apart over the next two years. He understands the need to embrace a populist, progressive narrative and program, but his ties to Wall Street and big money lead him to blunt any real moves by Democrats to take a bold stand for working people against corporate power.

The budget proposal to allow more government bailouts of banks that gamble with their depositors’ money was a huge lost opportunity for Democrats to paint Republicans as being on the side of the big banks that wrecked the economy. That opportunity was negated by President Obama’s pushing for the budget and Senator Schumer’s stealth maneuvers (widely known in Congress) to keep the Wall Street deal intact. As a result, the leaders of both parties demonstrated, as they’ve done before, that government is in fact on the side of the rich and powerful.

[stillwaiting]

1. Too many Democrats have decided that giving good speeches is all they need to do.

It apparently works though. I just hope it doesn't work for too much longer.

Their actions speak so much louder than their words (which appear downright ridiculous in retrospect).

[djean111]

2. Got that right. Sadly.

[Cosmic Kitten]

14. What??? That's almost like....PROPAGANDA!!!!

Quote Schumer: First, we must convince Americans that government
can be on their side and is not just a tool of special interests.”

Schumer admits "Americans" don't believe government can be
on their side, and that it's necessary to convince them otherwise!
And that government is not just a tool of "special interests".

NOTICE his use of "special interests"!
"Special interests" is a pejorative used by the right-wing
to de-legitimize policies and programs that benefit the working class.
It is rarely used to describe "corporate interests"
Schumer AVOIDS singling out "corporate interests"...
which is specifically who benefits from the CRomnibus.

Schumer is no "populist" but he wants to "convince" you otherwise...
Beware of 3rd-way propaganda.

[1StrongBlackMan]

46. I disagree ...

Schumer has it exactly right.

[sendero]

23. Especially ...

.. the one at the top, whose words have almost nothing to do with his actions, sorta like his predecessor.

[rhett o rick]

38. I agree. It's rhetoric that Conservative Democrats use like propaganda. nm

[Autumn]

3. Happy to send this off to the greatest page.

The Democratic leadership and the president have proved that they are tools of special interests, and in partnership with the republicans against the working class and the poor.

[Thespian2]

33. In other words

corporate interests, ie: Wall Street, Kochs, etc., own almost all the sock-puppets holding high office in all three parts of what was meant to be the American government. How true!

[RiverLover]

4. Right here. The reason we want Democrats to be Democrats

and have their actions once in office match their campaign rhetoric.

We want a better America for all of us, not just the rich. Democratic principles will make America better, but its blocked from happening because of pretendems like Schumer.

The same article can be found~

Chuck Schumer and the Democrats' Identity Crisis: Economic Policy vs. Rhetoric
12/22/14

http://www.nextnewdeal.net/chuck-schumer-and-democrats-identity-crisis-economic-policy-vs-rhetoric

So happy to see its on Salon now as well. It will get more exposure.

Thanks for posting!!

[marym625]

53. pretendems

Love it.

[NewDeal_Dem]

5. A populist message won't be enough to save the Democratic Party if its leaders continue to serve

Wall Street.

[raindaddy]

7. Empty Rhetoric Doesn't Cut It Anymore!

Agreed NewDeal.. If the Democratic party continues to ignore it's traditional representation of the poor and the middle class while serving Wall Street and the global corporations it's reason for existence is gone!
There's already a party in place that traditionally represents the 1% then lies about how if we swallow their bitter pill good things will trickle down, we don't need another.

[MisterP]

19. that's the crux of the problem: it's always "how do we have a more populist RHETORIC?"

"how do we make people less critical of the candidate" (since it's never the candidates that are the problem to this sort)

[NewDeal_Dem]

20. yes. you might think disaffection, apathy and anger was the desired result....

[MisterP]

21. how else could they blame the voters for their losses?

they were also so relieved when Brown won and ended the Supermajority: now the heat to show results was off, and the "centrists" wouldn't have to do any heavy lifting and still cash the election checks

[BrotherIvan]

44. + a million

Taking a dive is what Democrats did in both midterms. So obvious.

[SoapBox]

6. They have a spine when delivering to Wall Street Banksters but...

None when it comes to helping out 99% of Americans.

[Enthusiast]

8. Schumer is dead to me.

[RiverLover]

9. Me too. Like all fake democrats giving our party a bad name &

hurting our country.

[marmar]

10. Senator Wall Street .......

...... posterchild for what is wrong with so much of the Democratic Party.

[cascadiance]

11. And the CORPORATE media tries to push him as the most liberal senator too...

It is almost laughable if we haven't had to suffer the last few decades of the corporatization of our party.

Corporate media's depiction of the top 10 most "liberal" senators:

http://freebeacon.com/politics/meet-the-ten-most-liberal-senators/

Another place where Schumer fails is that he always wants to push expanding the H-1B visa program and has been responsible for "negotiating" this expansion in the latest immigration bill last term and in other bills earlier too.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/20/1195634/-There-was-a-time-when-Chuck-Schumer-and-Harry-Reid-cared-about-U-S-workers

Some "top" liberal he is! Sorry media, you aren't fooling us in to thinking that corporate Democrats are our friends. We can read between the lines thank you, and there will be a price to be paid down the road when more of mainstream America has woken up and thrown out the bums that are working for money and not for us.

[WillTwain]

12. Hillary in 2016 - eight more years, eight more years

Hillary better craft a hell of a spin or she may be in trouble. People are figuring this bunk out. Sort of like Obama dumping a story about helping unions on the same day the Cromnibus passed, which allow for union pension raiding.

When you hear Obama or Schumer pushing how populist they are look out - the old slight of hand magic trick is coming.

[abelenkpe]

13. K&R

[AZ Progressive]

15. "A few bad apples spoil the bunch"

Sadly, for the Democratic Party as well.

[Scuba]

16. This is why so many of us think the two parties are too much alike.

[A Simple Game]

17. Schumer is not a Senator for Wall Street, stop saying that!

He's a Senator for Israel!

Well yeah, OK, he's a Senator for Wall Street too.

Signed,
Sometimes not proud to be a New Yorker

[riverbendviewgal]

18. I hate him

K n Rec

[Doctor_J]

22. And this pretty much holds for our entire leadership. The repukes can get away with

this because their base are a bunch of brainwashed idiots. Potential democratic voters are on to the fact that Schumer, hrc. Obama, Feinswine, etc are servants of wall regardless of what they say

[closeupready]

24. A DU member last year vowed to leave DU if Hillary is the nominee

of the Democratic Party for the White House in 2016.

Because, she said, she will NOT vote for Hillary, no matter WHAT. And also because after the primaries, DU requires that its members support the party nominee (or at least don't stir shit up in opposition).

I'd bet that there are more than a handful of people here and among Democratic registered voters who sympathize with that idea, but who for various reasons, will not state it openly.

Further, you KNOW Republicans are going to be fired up for whoever they put up in 2016 - I doubt they'll be prepared to sit the election out, whereas many Democrats - who are told they have to eat shit that tastes just a little less bad than the shit Republicans are shoveling out - will indignantly REFUSE to comply with their own abuse. If that means they effectively contribute to a lower turnout among Democratic voters, so be it. I'm not saying that's what I will do (in fact, I've stated many times that I don't want Hillary, but I will support her if she is the nominee), but I am saying that I think this is why Dems are going continue losing elections when they should be winning.

[Kevin from WI]

30. Democrats should not stay home, even if you hate Hillary

Why punish the rest of the democrats who are running? Vote for Democrats who you believe in, and vote 3rd party for the spots you don't like. By staying at home we guarantee that we are going to get a Republican majority that will vote for things we do not like. In the 2014 election, some democrats who didn't like Obama stayed home and look what happened. Democrats who didn't deserve it got thrown out of office, and the Republicans got rewarded. That's some message they sent Obama... we get to live under Republican control for the next two years. Yup, that will show him.

[closeupready]

34. I was using her as an example of the corporo, anti-New Deal Dems

who turn many of us liberals and progressives WAY off. Our party has MANY Hillary's - if your local race is a contest between the Republican and a Hillary-copy, there will be a significant portion of voting Democrats who will stay home.

Hard left liberals CAN win, and ARE popular - witness Elizabeth Warren.

[Kevin from WI]

36. If only Warren would run

We can only hope that she or someone else like her will run.

[Doctor_J]

42. People with principles should not continue to vote for politicians who represent only the Kochs

[1StrongBlackMan]

50. Even when expressing those principles (i.e., voting ...

guarantees that one gets more of that one does not want?

BTW ... I cannot think of a single Democrat that "represent(s) only the Kochs" ... can you?

[Doctor_J]

54. They are going to get more of what they don't want regardless of who they vote for

or don't vote for. Hence the apathy. And a large number of dc dems, including the president, will serve the little people only when it doesn't interfere with what the Waltons and Kochs want. The XL was cancelled not because it might pollute the entire heartland, but because the profit projections made it "not worth it". That's also why we got Heritage/Gingrinch care instead of healthcare. That's also why the corporate school express plows ahead despite enormous costs, school failures, terrible outcomes, and complaints from educators.

Go ahead and point me to a major initiative passed during Obama's term that didn't result in a windfall to the hyper-rich.

[mother earth]

25. The illusion of a democracy, the pretense is nauseating. nt

[fredamae]

26. Haunt Them? Why Now? Lol

We didn't hold them accountable for all the other budget caves, cuts etc, wall street favors, the Sequester, NDAA, appointing shitty nominees and much more.

So how and why will the "threat of a long Omnibus haunting" possibly make a damned bit of difference to them now?

[pa28]

27. K&R

[NorthCarolina]

28. Does anyone really think any of them

really give a rats ass what the public thinks? Most are in it solely for personal enrichment. They will do what they must to achieve that goal, and then leave the entrails to their media handlers to polish their turd for public consumption. How else can one explain spending TENS OF MILLIONS of Dollars to campaign for an office that pays six figures annually?

[Overseas]

29. Sad K&R.

[JI7]

31. when is he up for reelection ?

[sabrina 1]

32. Don't listen to what they say, watch what they do. I never listen to Schumer's words, he is so out

of touch with those who elected him he doesn't even BOTHER to send a computer generated response to people who try to contact him.

[colsohlibgal]

35. A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

He's a complete fake, his words rig hollow beside his deeds - and his buddies on Wall Street. He follows other frauds like Max Baucus. Watch for him to get a lobbying for Wall Street gig down the road.

[craigmatic]

37. How come Schumer has never run for president?

He damn sure likes the spotlight enough.

[rhett o rick]

39. What's worse than a Republican? A Democrat that follows Republican ideology.

You think you can trust them but at the first opportunity they stab you in the back. Like H. Clinton did in 2002.

[AtomicKitten]

43. Yes! Nobody seems to get why center-right Democrats

piss me off more than Republicans.

Thanks for your post. Cheers.

[whereisjustice]

47. You are not alone. The "moderates" are fucking us over and over.

[nikto]

48. Center-Right Democrats are traitors to traditional Democratic Party values

That's why.

[RBInMaine]

40. BULLSHIT ! We will be VERY united in 2016. This is TeaLeft shit.

[RiverLover]

41. Close your eyes! Call Democrats wanting Democrats to be Democrats derogatory names!

Make it all go away!!

But you have to face what this is really about, and it has nothing to do with imagined similarity to teabaggers...

Democrats have a hypocrisy problem
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/14/politics/wall-street-spending-bill-democrats/

[martigras]

45. Schumer is no better than a Republican

His ties to Wall St and poor legislation go way back. If the Democrats hope to make any progress in 2016 they need to stop acting like Republicans or they may find they will be a permanent minority party.

[nikto]

49. The problem: There is no money in Progressivism

Most pols nowadays get into politics to enrich themselves, IMO.

Being a Conservative politician = Free ticket to wealth (via connections, paybacks, nepotism, etc etc)

Being a progressive politician and serving average Americans = Thankless job, no money

[Hoppy]

51. I remember Chucky going to bat for Janet Reno after Waco.

Two pieces of shit, trying to escape the flow of an enema.

[WillyT]

52. Huge K & R !!!