Schumer Takes Aim at Clinton: Dont Blame Russia or Comey, Blame Yourself

[Voltaire2]

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a thinly veiled message to Hillary Clinton, saying that “you blame yourself” if you “lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity.” Schumer never explicitly mentioned Clinton but there was little doubt who he was talking about while discussing the broad effort by the Democratic Party to come up with a new messaging strategy ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia—you blame yourself,” Schumer said in an interview with the Washington Post. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.” A recent poll found that 52 percent of Americans think the Democratic Party “just stands against Trump” while only 37 percent think it actually “stands for something.”

Clinton has taken responsibility for her loss, although she has also mentioned a variety of factors that contributed to the results in November, including the decision by then-FBI chief James Comey to reopen the investigation into her emails near the end of the campaign. She has also mentioned Russia’s well-reported efforts to affect the outcome of the election.

Schumer spoke to the Post ahead of the unveiling of the new Democratic Party economic platform on Monday that has been dubbed “A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future.”

[link:http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/07/23/schumer_takes_aim_at_clinton_don_t_blame_russia_or_comey_blame_yourself.html|

[virtualobserver]

1. they have improved the slogan since I heard the tentative first version

"better skills" was one of the three.....I don't think that "A better deal" was part of it at all.

[Voltaire2]

2. It is still an oddly uninspiring slogan

[uponit7771]

3. SCHUMMER NEVER MENTIONS CLINTON !!! Also, logically there IS something wrong with the VOTING if a

... person loses to a candidate with that low of approval.

[SecularMotion]

13. Its a Slate hit piece on Hillary

Senator Schumer is addressing the Democratic Party not Hillary.

[m-lekktor]

20. He most certainly DID take aim at her but it was in the Washington Post

“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia — you blame yourself,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview previewing the new plan. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.”

About 4 paragraphs down:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-had-the-art-of-the-deal-now-democrats-say-their-economic-agenda-is-a-better-deal/2017/07/22/c1f54b8c-6d56-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.38c654933b96

[Hortensis]

28. Yes. Schumer's statement is completely misinterpreted

in what is, as a result, a hit post that doesn't belong on DU.

Schumer means the Democratic Party, and he no, he is NOT slamming the party or anyone in it. He is also not absolving other factors. He is saying we need to accept responsibility for the fact that we lost as part of moving on and learning from it to win in future.

[Else You Are Mad]

4. That slogan...

Is like a bad rip off of Make America Great Again yet, even less exciting. That is a bad sign for 2018.

[Bluepinky]

5. It's too wordy and not inspirational.

How about something like "Americans for America".

[Hortensis]

30. It draws on a long and noble history of Democrat Party "Deals."

America would not America without the various Deal programs that made us a nation dominated by large, prosperous working classes.

[Deb]

6. You better, you better, you bet

The Who song has just become an ear worm. I can make this work for GOTV.

[Squinch]

7. Oh, look. Slate doing hit piece on Clinton, beginning with misleading headline. Yawn.

[lunasun]

11. And a hit on Schumer , misquoting him . He never said what the headline claims it looks like from

the article about Clinton

[Squinch]

14. Yes. Exactly. Slate screams for Democratic self-examination. Democrats give that to Slate.

Slate then smears Democrats using that self-examination.

They're quite scummy.

[Control-Z]

25. Please, show me or tell me what he really said.

Because I'm boiling angry right now. I've just about had it with using Hillary as the designated punching bag.

[Solly Mack]

8. A New Deal for Our Changing Times would sound better. Or use A Better Deal for Our Changing Times.

Something new along the lines of the job push and economic gains like the New Deal before, while recognizing that it is OUR times that are changing. OUR - All of us. All in it together. All of us - together - working for the future by being prepared for the future. Then programs that aid in re-training and more education for jobs that will be sustainable in the future. Improve infrastructure - that will take us into the future together. Improved schools that will prepare OUR children for an ever changing future they are prepared for through an education that broadens the mind and teaches critical thinking skills - you know, education without people like De Vos.

A liberal arts approach that doesn't use the word liberal because some people don't recognize that words often have more than one single meaning.

Health care - actual health care and not merely the bullshit access to health care line. Because to prepare for the future we need to be healthy as citizens.


Mass Transit into the future.

Yes, the demographics of America are changing but the future still belongs to all of us.

And so on and so forth...slogans and more slogans. But mean them.

Yes - will cost money - but the alternative will cost more.

Ignorance always does.

You can't stagnate your way into the future.

As for the blame yourself comment - any candidate would blame themselves. Any candidate worth anything at all will examine all the aspects of the loss. That doesn't mean other factors weren't involved. You still have to examine all the possible reasons that contributed to the loss. And the smart candidate begins by looking in the mirror.

Trump never would have even entertained the notion of self-reflection.

[Duppers]

9. I'd like to see what the hell he would've

Last edited Mon Jul 24, 2017, 05:24 PM - Edit history (1)

done had he ran and lost under those same circumstances. Talking about throwing friends under the bus.

[Funtatlaguy]

10. Use the word REAL.

The Trump admin is all about causing chaos and confusion.
They want all facts to be challenged as not being real.
They want the messengers (mainstream media - assuredly they exclude Fox News) to not be considered credible. They are "fake news" - not real.

So, Americans are looking for what's REAL.

The Dems new slogan should use that word REAL.
MAYBE: "Real Problems, Real Solutions"
Or: Getting REAL, Solving Americas problems.

[Donkees]

12. Real Deal

[Else You Are Mad]

16. I like that.

"Real deal for America"

[DFW]

15. Tired slogans

This almost sounds as if we are to believe that it was Hillary who got 40% of the vote. She won the election. She just lost the counting.

[Gabi Hayes]

17. Who is this propagandist ahole named

Daniel Politi?

From under what rock did he slither?

Anyone know what his deal is?

Sounds like Jeff Gerth and his ilk, back when they were revving up all the fools for scandal

What's his relationship with Chris Ruddy?

Inquiring minds want to know

[njhoneybadger]

18. I'm tired of hearing this horse shit

Comey, Russian propaganda and republican voter suppression cost Hillary at the very least 5 million votes. The election was fucking stolen.

[nikibatts]

19. More of the bot hits this time through Slate.

I sure hope the majority of Dems don't fall of this shit. It's just what they want us to do. For those who embrace this BS, well, they never wanted Obama or Hillary to get positive credit for anything anyway...a cadre of Dems are in this group and they will never stop. They are as relentless as the GOP/

[HughBeaumont]

21. I blame anyone who thought "President Donald Trump" was a great idea in the first place.

When that level of unmitigated stupid is what you have to work with, it's awfully hard to combat.

[GoCubsGo]

22. Exhibit A of why one should read the comments before clicking on an OP's link.

That way you'll know not to give an additional click to a bullshit hit piece.

[NCTraveler]

23. A little Slate ratfucking to start the day.

Well done. Trump agrees with your reading of the situation.

Link to tweet

[Kablooie]

24. I said essentially same thing during the campaign.

The main message I heard was Trump will be a disaster while Hillary is a well prepared politician so vote for Hillary.
I felt this was a weak message at the time.
There was also a confident arrogance behind the message that wasn't attractive.
She should have focused on what SHE would do for people instead of what terrible things Trump would do..

[JHan]

27. The main message I heard was that Hillary would improve

On the legacy of a two term democratic president, she gave countless speeches on how she would that ...while imprinting her own mark on the Presidency.

[Curmudgeoness]

34. Thank you.

What you said is true, whether some want to hear it or not. Hillary was so much more qualified, and she had a lot to offer, but the message did not get out. Schumer is right, the Democrats didn't do a good job.

And it pains me to say this.

[pnwmom]

26. How many times are Democrats going to say Hillary was a very naughty girl and must admit it?

How many Dems are going to tell us about other people saying that?

Hillary had only 70,000 fewer votes than Obama in 2012, and 2.9 million MORE votes than DT. She was up against not only DT, but a systematic program of Russian propaganda and Republican-controlled voter suppression that prevented millions from voting.

But let's keep saying stupid things about her loss. For some reason it makes some people feel better.

[JHan]

29. A great rat fucking piece by Slate which you breathlessly share

There is also nothing wrong with "A Better Deal" - it is a riff off of "New Deal" which was the Democrats greatest success. I have my concerns about things Schumer said, and what is implied by his comments, based on his round of morning show appearances yesterday, but I am cooling off further judgement until I read more details...

And I am not surprised that a progressive platform ( based on what we know so far) is getting dumped on by so called progressives. It never ends.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

37. How does one "breathlessly" share something on DU?

[JHan]

38. I felt like typing it

I used a word of my choosing, is your confusion the word itself or metaphors in general?

[Paladin]

31. How ever did Slate fit this Hillary-slagging piece in?

Instead of yet another "Game Of Thrones" jerkoff article? Priorities, Slate, priorities......

[delisen]

32. Shumer chooses to see a little picture-a larger view

required to fix the system he is far too much a part of.

Shumer needs to start working for the people, not just the pharmaceutical industry.

He needs to address Russia big time. I wonder why he is avoiding that.

He also needs to address the new Jim Crow voter suppression.

I think fear of losing the white vote in parts of America is scary to many white male politicians.

Steny Hoyer, is pushing a similar narrative.
How they want to frame things and where they want to go with it is actually going to hold us back.

Shumer, Hoyer, and even Sanders do not have to international world view that Clinton has-they think small and this is the wrong time to think small.

Georgia is a microcosm of what they fear. Georgia was once solidly Democratic but today, if you are a politically ambitious young white male your best avenue to achieve political office is to run as a Republican.

This will change soon-but it won't change by appeasement on human rights.

It is also no longer possible to ignore the Russian Agenda and win.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

33. I stand with the Democratic Senate Leadership. K and R

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Funny how that whole "Support Democrats" thing gets jettisoned when someone like Schumer

engages in wrongthink, isn't it?

I mean, doesn't "support Democrats" apply to the (D) leader in the Senate?

Doubleplus ungood!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

36. Yep.