Chuck Schumer did the right thing — cut him some slack

If not for Signalgate, Democrats would likely still be busy lashing out at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who allowed a Republican spending bill to pass, thus averting a government shutdown.

For the last few weeks, Schumer has found himself the target of attacks from within his own party over his and nine other Democratic senators’ decision, despite what was, ultimately, the correct decision.  

I say this for two reasons. First, contrary to Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) contention that Schumer should have opposed the bill rather than “roll over and give up,” Democrats would have completely owned a government shutdown. Indeed, President Trump and Republicans would have been able, with ease, to lay the blame at the foot of congressional Democrats, saying they shut down the government and harmed Americans purely out of political spite. Interestingly, then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made this exact same decision in 2021, when he went against his own party in an attempt to prevent a shutdown. 

Moreover, as Schumer and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) have noted, a shutdown would have given Trump (and Elon Musk) virtually unchecked power to gut the federal government, halt necessary social programs, and more. 

Schumer’s realist calculation hasn’t stopped other Democrats, particularly Ocasio-Cortez, from mobilizing against the longtime Democratic leader. As CNN has reported, there have even been discussions about her challenging Schumer in a primary.

To that end, Democrats who have attacked Schumer would be wise to note that only 27 percent of registered voters have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, according to NBC polling. 

It is difficult to see how that rating — the lowest since NBC pollsters began asking this question in 1990 — would improve if Democrats directed the government to shut down, with all of the negative consequences Americans would have felt. 

That’s even more the case given that Democrats have enjoyed some genuine wins of late. For example, last week, they narrowly won a Pennsylvania state senate district that Trump had won by 15 points just a few months ago.  

And in the special election to replace former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) — now Trump's White House national security advisor — the Democratic challenger has turned a heavily Republican district into a competitive race. It would be foolish for Democrats to squander this momentum with infighting.

The second reason I believe Schumer calculated correctly is that he recognizes the urgency of Democrats adopting an entirely new approach to Trump and Republicans. Now a minority in both chambers of Congress, Democrats cannot simply dust off the “resistance” playbook and work to obstruct Trump at every turn.  

Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville seemed to recognize this. He recently told Wolf Blitzer that this may be “a wiser decision than people think,” given how many other, more important, legislative priorities Democrats should have. 

Further, Trump won the election and the popular vote because Americans believed that his policies on immigration, the economy, government spending, and more, were aligned with what they wanted. Democrats must recognize that some of Trump’s ideas of securing the border, cutting taxes and regulations, cracking down on crime and reducing federal spending are worth advancing.  

If Democrats continue to reject these policies in toto without offering alternatives, they will remain a minority party for the foreseeable future.  

At this point, Democrats must adopt a policy of strategic cooperation, something I advocated for even before Trump was sworn in.  

By working with the administration or congressional Republicans on issues where there are common sense, moderate solutions, Democrats would be doing themselves a tremendous service ahead of the midterms. 

Schumer’s bravery in going against a considerable part of his own party was also evident in his willingness to do something too few Democrats are doing today: Call out the antisemitism that is rampant within the party’s ranks.

Overshadowed by the spending bill was the news that Schumer, the highest-ever-ranking Jewish elected official, recently published a book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.”

Within the book, Schumer called out fellow Democrats such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her past antisemitic comments, and also condemned the anti-Israel protests that have roiled college campuses for much of the past 18 months.  

Unfortunately, aside from a handful of Jewish Democrats such as Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), and the non-Jewish Fetterman, too few Democrats have been willing to call out the rise in antisemitism within their own party.  

Ultimately, it may be too early to tell whether or not the anger directed at Schumer grows into a serious threat to his leadership. But, in my opinion, it would be a mistake for Democrats to keep pillorying the minority leader, whose decision to avoid a government shutdown was not only the right one for the country, but also politically the right decision for Democrats. 

Douglas E. Schoen is a political consultant who served as an adviser to President Clinton and to the 2020 presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg. His new book is “The End of Democracy? Russia and China on the Rise and America in Retreat.”