Fury of the Left Falls on Schumer
By Julian Hattem. Liberals are livid at Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) decision to oppose the White House’s nuclear deal with Iran, and have threatened to launch a full-scale war as retribution.
Activists and former top officials within the Obama administration are openly contemplating whether Schumer’s stance disqualifies him from serving as the next Senate Democratic leader — which he is primed to do — and seeking to temporarily cut off money to Democrats in the upper chamber.
It’s unclear whether Schumer’s announcement will have a devastating effect on the White House’s efforts to prevent Democrats from killing the deal when it comes up for a vote in Congress next month.
But it’s clear that he will be Public Enemy No. 1 for liberal activists throughout the August recess, as they aim to rally support from Democrats on the agreement.
“This is a real and serious backlash, one that comes from deep within the Democratic Party’s base, and I think we’re only going to see it grow,” said Becky Bond, the political director for Credo Action. (Read more from “Fury of the Left Falls on Schumer” HERE)
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White House Calls Chuck Schumer Defection ‘Disappointing’
By Chuck Ross. White House spokesman Joshua Earnest said Friday that the Obama administration is disappointed but not surprised by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s defection on the Iran nuclear deal.
“It is not new and this is a difference of opinion President Obama and Sen. Schumer have had getting all the way back to 2003,” Earnest said at a daily press briefing, referring to the two Democrats’ opposing positions on the Iraq war.
“That all said, that is why I would describe this as an amount in that was not particularly surprising here at the White House, even if it was disappointing.”
Late Thursday, Schumer announced that he will oppose the deal, in which the administration negotiated with Iran in hopes of curtailing its ability to obtain a nuclear weapon. The defection looms large given that Schumer is expected to take over as Senate majority leader when Harry Reid resigns.
“After deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of disapproval,” Schumer wrote in a post at the website Medium. (Read more from this story HERE)
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