Day 297: Chuck Schumer's Kabuki Theater
It can be an enlightening experience to live as a citizen who has stood on multiple sides of the political spectrum. I was once a staunch conservative, a reliable Republican voter. But then Trump commandeered the party, transforming it into a cesspool of right-wing extremism. Like a political refugee, I was forced to flee. Now I find myself among the largest bloc of American voters: the unaffiliated independents.
One of the more curious side effects of a political hegira is the chance to view public figures from multiple vantage points. Take Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. As a conservative, I regarded him as a slick operator—more adept at self-serving backroom deals than public service, and fond of press conferences that delivered a flood of words with barely a drop of reason.
Now, as an independent, I’ve reassessed my opinion and have concluded that...Chuck Schumer is a slick operator—more adept at self-serving backroom deals than public service, and still fond of press conferences that deliver a flood of words with barely a drop of reason.
Some things don't change.
The late, great Charles Krauthammer once described Schumer’s brand of politics as “kabuki theater”—an overwrought performance where posturing takes precedence over policy. Schumer’s recent betrayal during the government shutdown is yet another act in the ongoing drama of Schumarian kabuki.
Bear in mind, Schumer’s stated reason for refusing to authorize a continuing resolution to keep the government open was to restore vital Affordable Care Act subsidies, stripped by the Republican Congress, and threatening to leave millions of Americans without affordable healthcare. After holding out for forty days—the longest government shutdown in American history, a record failure for President Trump according to his own metrics —it seems Schumer, along with a cadre of eight fellow Democrats, has decided that this once-crucial issue isn’t so crucial after all.
Oh, sure, they secured a pinky swear from Senate Majority Leader Thune to call a vote on restoring those subsidies sometime in December—such specificity!—but we all know how that vote will end, if it’s called at all. And if it isn’t? What will Schumer do? Threaten another shutdown in January when the current CR expires? After this surrender, that threat rings hollow.
But let’s give Schumer the benefit of the doubt. Suppose he truly believed he and his fellow Senate Democrats had ridden the shutdown horse as far as it could go—that it was time to reopen the government before Team Trump layered on even more cruelty and chaos. I might have respected that decision, had he presented it honestly and taken the heat.
Instead, Schumer resorted to his usual kabuki fan dance. In what may be the slimiest move yet in his thoroughly reptilian Senate career, he dispatched his number two, Dick Durbin, along with seven other safe or retiring Democrats (Angus King is technically an independent, but we know the truth—he caucuses with the Democrats) to negotiate surrender terms with Thune behind closed doors.
With the deal signed, sealed, and delivered, Schumer then applied the face paint and donned his kimono for his greatest kabuki performance yet—expressing outrage at the deal and voting against it, all while being its architect.
Disgraceful.
What makes this unconditional surrender—because that is precisely what Schumer has delivered—all the more bizarre is its timing. It came less than a week after Democrats scored a smashing off-year victory against Republicans. The American people, both in polling and at the ballot box, had affirmed Schumer’s initial decision to stand firm against Trump.
What’s more, it was clear the administration was rattled. Trump and his allies, increasingly panicked by Schumer’s refusal to cave, responded by inflicting escalating and unnecessary pain on the nation. But polling showed the public wasn’t fooled; Trump was taking the blame by a ten-point margin. It was a losing strategy for the White House.
And yet, with all that momentum, Schumer et al. chose to surrender.
It’s as if, one week after the Union’s triumph at Gettysburg, Lincoln had announced his agreement to let the Confederacy secede, pending a vote in the Confederate Congress to abolish slavery at some unspecified future date. That’s how daft Schumer’s capitulation truly is.
After enduring a parade of generals more skilled in the kabuki of warfighting than in actual combat, Lincoln, in a fit of frustration, declared that he liked generals who fought. Schumer is no such general. Like McClellan, he must be removed from command. Now.
👺👺👺👺👺
In other news, it’s been fascinating to watch how various social media influencers are responding to Schumer’s abject surrender. It’s proving to be a litmus test—one that’s separating the fighters from the fellow kabuki enthusiasts.
Consider this an incomplete list; the spin is still incoming.
The Fighters:
- Molly Jong-Fast has been absolutely scathing in her critique of Schumer’s betrayal. This is a gal who fights.
- Rick Wilson has remained clear-eyed about what just transpired.
- Steve Schmidt has called for Schumer’s ouster since his rise to Minority Leader, and this latest betrayal only fuels his ire.
- Occupy Democrats has likewise been unequivocal in condemning Schumer’s retreat and demanding his ouster.
These are the war fighters.
- MeidasTouch has been playing ball with Schumer’s strategy. Today, they released a single video about the surrender. While they dutifully called out Schumer’s eight sacrificial lambs, they somehow never mentioned Chuck himself. (Do they know he’s the Senate Minority Leader? Hmm...) After that obligatory nod to accountability, MeidasTouch quickly returned to their regularly scheduled programming: “Trump panics!” and “Devastating news for Trump!”—boilerplate clickbait for the base.
- The Bulwark didn’t even bother with the pro forma outrage. Instead, they declared Schumer’s capitulation an outright victory for Democrats. I found their celebration of surrender so absurd that if Neville Chamberlain were still around, I suspect he’d say, “Whoa, lads. Cool it. You’re making me blush.”
- As for Chris Cillizza—I had to unfollow him after he claimed Schumer had nothing to do with the deal struck by the quisling eight, ipse dixit. This, despite Schumer being, you know, the SENATE MINORITY LEADER, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, one of the eight, saying otherwise.
- Lastly, the corporate media, particularly MSNBC, has also been circling the wagons around Schumer, either by taking the MeidasTouch strategy of a brief mention before moving on, or by following The Bulwark's example of just declaring victory for Senate Democrats. They don't want to lose access to Democrat halls of power, after all...
Those are the voices I’ve heard so far. As someone who’s been burned by false pundits in the past, I’m especially attuned to the scent of misleading sophistry. Which is why I felt compelled to post this.
Shutdowns rarely get any policy concessions. But they can provide political fodder for either primaries or the next midterm general election. For Dems, this one will wreck Schumer. But it will raise salience of health care affordability for next November if no ACA subsidy passes. After last Tuesday, Dems know that affordability is THE big issue that will help in 2026, just as it crushed Dems in 2024. GOP has never put forth a real alternative to the ACA so without subsidies, they’ll own major premium increases, whether they like it or not. But Schumer has done a terrible job messaging any of this and he is absolutely loathed by the Dem base now.
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