Very simple explanation for why Schumer and other Dems are distancing themselves from Hillary

[Jim Lane]

99. It's unfair to blast Schumer for something he DIDN'T say

Note that neither the link in the OP nor the HuffPo link added in #34 quotes or even mentions Schumer.

Note that in the Schumer interview that I assume is the basis for all this outrage, he doesn't mention Clinton.

This is all shit-stirring by headline writers trying to hype a nonexistent intraparty fight. Let's stop falling for this!

I stand ready to be corrected if someone provides a link to some actual words by Schumer (not a headline paraphrase). Unless and until I see that, I'll assume this hubbub is based entirely on a distortion of his statement on Sunday. Here's what happened:

Some Democratic leaders decided that, along with "We're not Trump," it would be useful for the party to have a short statement of positive goals. (This is hardly a controversial idea.) The Washington Post wrote about the plan in this story: "Trump had ‘The Art of the Deal.’ Now Democrats say their economic agenda is ‘A Better Deal.’" The Post interviewed Schumer, and its reporting included this passage:

The rollout comes as Democrats continue to struggle to sell a coherent message to voters. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 37 percent of Americans said that the party “currently stands for something,” while 52 percent said it “just stands against Trump.” The same poll found that Trump’s overall approval rating has deteriorated to 36 percent — making him the most unpopular president of the modern era at this point in his presidency.

Those findings resonate with party leaders who are still stunned by Trump’s come-from-behind victory last year.

“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.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) agreed, explaining in a separate interview that the new focus “is not a course correction, but it’s a presentation correction.”

You'll note that Schumer didn't even mention Clinton. You'll note further that he identified the issue as "what did we do wrong" (emphasis added). You'll note finally that he used the word "we" twice more in the next sentence.

Slate, however, decided that a misleading let's-you-and-her-fight headline might get some clicks, and reported this development as "Schumer Takes Aim at Clinton: Don’t Blame Russia or Comey, 'Blame Yourself'".

Pretty clever, huh? The verbatim quotation from Schumer is juxtaposed with something he didn't say to give a totally false impression. He wasn't reacting to polls about Hillary Clinton's unpopularity. He was reacting to the poll about the whole party's public image, namely not having a program.

All Schumer is saying is that the party should learn from 2016. Yes, our candidate won the popular vote, and we gained seats in the House and the Senate, but we -- we -- could have done better. If the problem is that the party is perceived as not standing for anything, then formulating a concise statement of what the party does stand for is a sensible (and non-misogynistic) response.