Schumer is one of few people in Congress Sanders could call a friend

[portlander23]

Democrats in Trumplandia
Emily Cadei
Newsweek (via Raw Story)

Progressive firebrands such as Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are the closest things Democrats have to a public face right now. They command huge followings on social media, can rake in cash from small-dollar donors and relish slamming the president-elect the way the party’s base craves. Sanders also has a new political organization, Our Revolution, run by former aides, to maintain his following among progressives. But make no mistake: Neither he nor Warren is in charge. It is Schumer whom fellow Democrats expect to steer the party through the Trumpian wilderness.

It remains to be seen whether Schumer’s expanded team is more than mere symbolism, and what kind of influence Sanders will have in his new role. The Vermont senator’s new post means he’ll be “attending all the leadership meetings, which is a big deal,” insists a Schumer aide. “Decisions actually get made in those meetings.” A senior Sanders aide says Schumer and Sanders have been talking every day.

Schumer is also one of just a few people in Congress the famously prickly Sanders could call a friend. “They are personally close. They like each other a lot,” Schumer’s aide affirms. “Chuck helped sort of make the peace between Bernie and Hillary [Clinton] at the end of the primary campaign, because both Bernie and Hillary saw Chuck as an ally.” While most Democrats in Washington were still trying to make sense of Sanders's startling transformation from quixotic backbencher to progressive rock star last winter, Schumer quickly saw the power behind his movement, and, though a staunch Clinton supporter, he reached out to Sanders, as well.

Sounds like a good start.

[vi5]

1. I've never been a Schumer fan...

Being in the New York media market I've been aware of him and seen him long before his national profile and he's always seemed less than genuine to me. But if he's smart enough to harness the power of what Sanders and Warren bring then he has my respect and my support.

[Me.]

4. Don't Care For My Senator Much Either

Especially as he chose to stand with Netanyahu against our President.

[vi5]

5. I have this vivid memory.....

..watching one of the local NYC Sunday chat shows. It was when Schumer was running against D'amato and they were both on being interviewed in a semi-debate type format. It goes without saying that D'amato is someone who I loathed and who was just a total sleaze.

But I just remember that Schumer just seemed so calculating and so craven. It wasn't a debate with an audience, but Schumer seemed the whole time like he was performing. Even a scuzzball like D'amato was talking to the interviewer directly when he was asked a question and it was in keeping with the informal tone of the discussion. But Schumer would be asked a question and then would then ignore the moderator and turn directly towards the camera and do these really annoying affectations. It was really unsettling, especially knowing this was a guy from my party who I more than likely agreed with on every position.

I've never forgotten watching that interview and how it made me uneasy with him, and I can't say that Schumer has done anything that makes me feel like he is any different or less calculating or less self-involved than he seemed to me that day.

[Me.]

6. Well You KNow What They Say About Geting Between him and a Camera

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

2. Chuck Schumer clearly realizes that Bernie, with the able assistance of Keith Ellison as head of the DNC, will lead the fight against the Fuhrer-Elect...

These three, with Nancy Pelosi in the house, will also provide the leadership we so desperately need moving into the 2018 elections and beyond.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!

[rug]

3. They're both from Brooklyn, same high school a decade apart.

[NCTraveler]

7. A good start for a career politician on his way out the door.

"Good start"

That is just funny. He is padding his retirement account and is on his way out. He should have started thinking about a "good start" decades ago.

Your own comment is absolutely perfect.