MCCONNELL AND SCHUMER TO LEAD IN SENATE

[SoCalNative]

Source: ABC 11 Raleigh, NC

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans on Wednesday re-elected Kentucky's Mitch McConnell to be majority leader when the new Congress convenes in January and starts working on Donald Trump's agenda.

McConnell is widely popular among Republicans and his election was by acclimation on Wednesday. The 74-year-old is considered a clever tactician who mixes conservative leanings with a willingness to cut bipartisan deals when necessary.

Meanwhile, Democrats elected Chuck Schumer to be their new minority leader. The New Yorker will be Washington's most powerful Democrat as the party confronts an all-Republican government led by Trump.

Democrats unanimously picked Schumer at a closed-door meeting Wednesday. He will succeed Harry Reid, the combative Nevada Democrat who is retiring in January after 30 years in the Senate.


Read more: http://abc11.com/politics/mcconnell-and-schumer-to-lead-in-senate/1609859/

[mainstreetonce]

1. Good luck to Schumer

Good choice

[grantcart]

15. He strongly opposed the Iran treaty, which IMO

saved us from another war.

[Cobalt Violet]

2. In other words

Democrats insure further losses.

[NurseJackie]

3. Excellent! Glad to see that the "online petitions" (ie: e-mail vacuums) promoting Bernie Sanders for

the job went nowhere. But I'm sure all those who "signed" will be receiving tons of spam and donation requests.

[WhiteTara]

13. Well, since he is NOT a member of the party

it would be a slap in the face to all the Democrats in Congress.

[NurseJackie]

14. I know, right?

[elehhhhna]

4. Same old same old and the banks win. Again.

[Backwoodsrider]

5. sigh

I thought the elections were going to be a smooth transition from old Petroleum based paternal thinking to a more progressive thinking of our first lady president but that did not happen. Voters chose another rode based on greed and hate and deception and that road has more bumps. No lets not try and change lets just keep going with those same leaders that put us in this mess. Yep lets run this nation until the wheels fall off.

[Jersey Devil]

6. Sorry if I am not thrilled by Schumer - same old corporate face for the public to look at

We should not be the party of big bankers and that is what Schumer presents as an image.

[Initech]

7. Great... expect an extreme far right SCOTUS justice.

[FarPoint]

8. I didn't catch the news break stuff fast enough...

What was Schumrer saying about Joe Manchian? Some equal leadership??? Not sure but this Dem is a Rino and I can't believe we can be resistant with him in some position of leadership...

Help me get the facts please.

[former9thward]

9. Manchin was added to the leadership team.

Schumer also expanded the Democratic leadership team to 10 members, with Sanders (I-Vt.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), adding to the team’ ideological, geographic and gender balance. Baldwin is also the first lesbian senator to hold a leadership role. Their new roles, Schumer said, “shows we can unite the disparate factions of our party and our country.”

Manchin will help with messaging; Sanders will handle outreach to key party constituencies, while Baldwin plays an organizational role.
Manchin said he was pleased to take the position and denied speculation that he was given the post as a way to keep him from leaving the Democratic caucus. A moderate Democrat and former West Virginia governor, Manchin has been especially critical of Reid’s leadership and his recent comments denouncing Trump’s victory.

On Wednesday, he said he plans to be a partisan bridge-builder — and that he hopes his fellow Democrats to play nice with the opposition. “If President-elect Trump comes with good policies, I’m going to be 1,000 percent behind him. Okay? Maybe the rest of my caucus will not, but I’m going to find a pathway forward,” he said

Manchin also blasted national Democrats and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign for dismissing the plight of his home state and other rural areas. People in his home state “were mad. They were so mad that the social rhetoric was so offensive, it didn’t bother them because they were so mad at everything else. And if that’s not a wakeup call, I don’t know what is.” He added later that in West Virginia, “We feel like the returning Vietnam Veteran. My little state of West Virginia has done everything this country has asked of it and they turned their backs on us and said, ‘Thank you, we don’t need you now.’ They’re not going to stand for it and I’m going to make sure I’m their voice.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/11/16/schumer-elected-senate-democratic-leader/

[FarPoint]

10. Thank you for the information...

Joe Manchin will be an obstructionist ...he could sabotage our recovery as a Party...shit.

[Grey Lemercier]

11. his election was by acclimation ... ffs Republicans working their magic for spelling in NC

[Ken Burch]

12. Didn't know Amy was a senator now...

...Oh, you meant the OTHER Schumer.

Well, it was always going to be him. Hope he's up for it and hope he realizes "meeting them halfway" is the path to defeat.