Harry Reid endorses Chuck Schumer to succeed him as Senate Minority Leader

[former9thward]

Source: Washington Post

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has endorsed Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to succeed him after he retires at the end of 2016.

"I think Schumer should be able to succeed me," Reid said in a Friday morning interview at his home in Washington's West End.

Reid predicted that Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democrat in leadership and a close friend, would win the Democratic leader post without opposition. He said that the other likely contender, Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), would stand down for Schumer.

Reid called Schumer "extremely smart" and noted the brash, energetic New Yorker would have a "different style" than Reid's soft talking nature.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/03/27/harry-reid-endorses-chuck-schumer-to-succeed-him-as-senate-minority-leader/?wpisrc=al_alert

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. Hopefully not the "Minority" when the time comes.

[bigwillq]

2. Yuck (nt)

[Duval]

3. I guess he is "ok", but

Alan Grayson would have been better. Oh, well....

[karynnj]

12. Alan Grayson is not a Senator - so this is ridiculous on the surface

In addition, Grayson has meany many problems - unrelated to him being more liberal.

As to Schumer, it is very interesting that he has sharp elbowed Durbin out of the running. Durbin has been the Whip for years. Personally I trust Schumer far more that Wall Street favorite Schumer. \

However, I wonder if Schumer as leader would at least be better than he is when he it is NOT leader - working against anyone he sees as a rival. As leader, he would have the position he has sought for years and success at it would depend on LEADING, UNITING etc.

My biggest concerns are that he is completely not in tune with populism, regulation of big banks, and anything like occupy and he is seemingly incapable of seeing that the US interests can actually be different than those expressed by Netanyahu and the Likkud party. I really hate that he has ignored that the majority in the US actually favor giving diplomacy the time needed in the case of Iran. He announced recently that he supports Corker/Menendez - which was no surprise as he long ago signed on as a sponsor. His announcement, though, feeds the "there is bipartisan disagreement with Obama's efforts - at a point where there is not even an agreement making it very hard for the administration to counter the Netanyahu based lies with specifics.

[MADem]

27. ....

Well, no guesswork as to your level of knowledge as to the workings on the Hill.

[Fuddnik]

4. From bad to worse.

Wall Street and the Banks will rule supreme.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Ugh. Not really too fond of this guy. n/t

[heaven05]

6. birds of a feather?

[Purveyor]

7. Oh FFS. Just what we need. NOT!!! eom

[global1]

8. This Is A Snub To Durbin And....

IMHO the wrong person for the job. The only thing about Schumer is that he is a seasoned veteran of the Senate.

[surrealAmerican]

9. Frankly, I think Durbin would be a better choice.

[MBS]

29. " " " "

But vote is almost two years away, and a lot - hopefully -can happen between now and then to change the dynamic. The thing is: Reid himself doesn't make the choice; the entire Democratic caucus does. Durbin is a good guy; my hope/fantasy is that Durbin would run, and win, despite the wishes or predictions of Schumer or Reid or the Talking Heads.

My big problem with Schumer is that he is basically all about himself, and drawing attention to himself, with the larger causes of, say, the Democratic party, or his fellow senators, taking a distant second to his self-interest. IMO, that level of selfishness/self-interestedness is not a good trait for a senate leader, whose job is to put the interests of his party and caucus, not himself, first. Whatever his flaws , Reid has always struck me as somehow whose motivation is more about the interests of the Democratic Party than his own personal interests. (Not that Reid is ego-free -- arguably, no politician is - but his work does seem to be more about furthering the interests of his party, rather than self-interest)

[pocoloco]

10. Jesus Fucking Christ!!!

AIPAC wet dream!

[Fred Sanders]

11. Double YUCK....another one licking the boots of AIPAC and undermining his own President?

[GoneFishin]

13. I don't want to see Chuck replace Harry. nt

[cosmicone]

14. Schumer is also a senator representing Israel n/t

[City Lights]

15. I prefer Durbin over Schumer.

Not crazy about Schumer at all.

[myrna minx]

16. The Senator of Wall Street? Ugh.

[PoliticAverse]

28. My feeling as well. n/t

[Wabbajack_]

17. Yes, why have an open contest

Let the previous leader anoint the next one.

[Jack Rabbit]

18. The position must not go to a Wall Street stooge

As far as politics goes, a Wall Street stooge may as well be a Republican. Schumer will do nothing to restore democracy from the oligarchs. Government must again become the people's business, something to balance the interests of the people against the interests of the powerful few and, when necessary, to oppose the powerful.

[Jackpine Radical]

19. I think this is a signal sent to mollify Wall St after the Warren flap.

It's just Harry's way of saying, "Don't mind that crazy woman; nobody's gonna try to re-regulate you."
Schumer is the biggest Wall St. tool on Democratic side of the Senate.

[anotojefiremnesuka]

20. Chucky beholden to wall street and aipac.

If we have to have Dems like chucky then they need to be out of any and all leadership positions.

[OnyxCollie]

21. LOL!

[former9thward]

22. ?

Were you replying in the right thread?

[OnyxCollie]

23. Damn autofill.

[JustAnotherGen]

24. Awful awful awful

I think it should be Sherrod Brown. Always been a Democratic Party member, long history, pro labor, and he has 'heart'. Schumer - nope. Voted for him when I lived in NY but that was a long time ago. Sherrod has the gravitas but is relatable to so many different blocs within the party.

[craigmatic]

25. I'd rather have Durbin as majority leader Schumer is an obnoxious camera hound.

[MADem]

26. I do think Schumer has the temperment for the task, and the organizational skills, too.

He also has the requisite influence.

He will be a more obviously pugnacious leader than HR, and probably almost as effective. That will please the people who like a vocal speaker. HR was a master at gaming the rule book; I hope CS will get the spirit and be as skilled with the parliamentary tricks as HR has been--that's a big piece of being successful in the job, as is being able to rally the rest of the leadership.

[tiptonic]

30. Goodbye

And never darken our doorsteps again. Chuck is just another 'closet' republican. Durbin, didn't have a chance, he's too strong for the democrats.

[LiberalElite]

31. Chucky will love it -

now he'll be on camera even more!

[QC]

32. Might as well give the job to Lloyd Blankfein.

Or maybe Jamie Dimon.

Seriously, seriously bad choice.

[Chan790]

33. Sorry Harry, Chuck should be a primary target of progressives for 2016.

It's time to send these Wall St. Democrats like Schumer into retirement. He can't be the Democratic leader in the Senate if he's sitting on a well-whipped red-ass after a losing primary fight.

[Corey_Baker08]

34. What About Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown Or Al Franken?

All great choices, all anti wall street, all liberals, all pro-union, all favor more gun control, etc.

I could list more candidates that like those mentioned above represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party because in 2016 that person could very well become the Majority Leader...

[cascadiance]

35. I would like to see Merkley! He would properly fix the filibuster rules...

... the way they should be fixed, but has not been fixed allowing the perpetual obstruction that has happened over the last six years under Reid. We'd get more of that kind of crap with Schumer i think.

Would like to see Warren benefit as president then with a Senate that won't obstruct some Democratic legislation going through then!

[Major Hogwash]

36. Where are all of the DU members from New York?? What do they think??

I sometimes wonder what it is like to go from the frying pan into the fire!

C'mon, what do you New Yorkers think of Schumer?
Good guy, bad guy, 50 shades of gray??

Don't be bashful, speak up.
Sheesh!

[madville]

37. No one is mentioning his seat will likely go republican now

especially if the current governor runs, he seems fairly popular there.

[mwrguy]

38. Good. Schumer is great on gun control.

[Douglas Carpenter]

39. yeah, that will really help advance peace in the Middle East