Senator Jeanne Shaheen just threw the minority leader under the bus.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen revealed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer knew the entire time about the plan for a few Democrats to capitulate to Republicans on the government shutdown.

Shaheen, one of the seven Democrats (and one independent) who dropped their demand for a guaranteed extension of Obamacare subsidies, spoke to Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade on Monday morning.

Aside from serving as further proof that the Democrats are failing to act as an opposition party in any meaningful way, Shaheen’s comments also reveal one of two possible scenarios. Either Schumer was scheming to end the shutdown behind the scenes, only pretending to be against it while pinning the blame on the eight people who aren’t up for reelection anytime soon, or he has no control over his party. Either way, it proves the need for Democrats to jettison the minority leader.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    15·
    2 days ago

    Wait wait - so the minority leader knew what his party was doing??!?

    “No, we kept leadership informed throughout,” Shaheen responded. “And I think it’s important to remember who’s responsible for why we got into this shutdown. We are here because we are concerned about the health care costs rising significantly on millions of Americans, and we didn’t have any indication before the shutdown started that our Republican colleagues were willing to address it.”

    Normally TNR isn’t as fucky but “either he was scheming the whole time or he’s unable to control his party” is pretty much the most uncharitable spin that can possibly be put on it.

    It seems like they got a guaranteed healthcare vote which they didn’t have before (MAGAs were just going to trash it then move on and not speak of it again), they got everyone’s jobs back, they got everyone guaranteed back pay, and they got language to say the MAGAts won’t do that again.

    Not to mention we cleaned their fucking clock in the elections, and everyone gets food and gets to travel to see their families during the busiest travel-and-food-related holiday of the year. Plus, they’ll see them back at the OK corral in January to lock in the healthcare or else we go again.

    Federal workers get paychecks, which, kind of a big deal normally but more so at holiday season, and they racked up some wins while the republicans got a funded three months.

    It doesn’t look like the huge “blink” right-wing-owned corporate news sewers want to paint it as.

    OH! AND the House will swear in our deciding Epstein vote, which should make for some interesting holiday reading for all the MAGAts and those of us who may see them on the holidays.

    That might be the whole shootin’ match, really. Healthcare subsidy vote notwithstanding.

    • salacious_coaster@infosec.pubEnglish
      8·
      2 days ago

      What the hell are you taking about? They got a promise of a promise from well-established liars (i.e. nothing), and undid a little of the damage incurred to get that worthless promise. There’s no interpretation of this where Dems came out ahead. We’d have been better off if they chickened out from the start.

      • Optional@lemmy.world
        16·
        2 days ago

        What Democrats did secure is a future vote on the matter. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the chamber floor Sunday that he will hold a vote on a measure to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits by the middle of next month.

        So that’s sooner - right before Christmas, which. Good timing.

        They believe that Democrats have an upper hand on the issue of health care and that a separate health care vote will spotlight the differences between the two parties, even though it has little chance of becoming law. And they’re not ruling out another shutdown showdown in January, when the next tranche of funding expires (though critical programs such as food aid and WIC will already be funded, to lessen the pain for millions of Americans).

        So they shut down again in Jan. and no one loses food - SNAP will be funded.

        The deal, which has been in the works for the last five weeks, came together between three former governors — Shaheen of New Hampshire, Angus King of Maine and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire — along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House. Details of the deal were first reported by CNN.

        One of those Democrats involved is Sen. Tim Kaine, who represents thousands of federal workers in Virginia and who said he supports the GOP’s promise for a future vote on the subsidies.

        Senate Democratic leadership was split on the vote, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposing the deal while his No. 2, retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, supported it.

        They got the health care vote, which they weren’t going to, they got everyone fed, they got everyone paid, got the layoffs reversed, and they’ll be in good stead to do it again in Jan. Plus: here come the Epstein files.

        How much should people who can’t afford food suffer for politics? Federal workers getting past due notices. Travel utterly fucked for the holidays. I can see the benefits to ending it now, funding some stuff for the year and then seeing what the healthcare/Epstein issues do in three months. Maybe nothing but that’s kind of unlikely.