UPDATED - Schumer: Democrats were 'namby-pamby'

[karynnj]

15. This may simply reflect the difference of being in power and being out of power in both Houses and

the Presidency.

In 2009, we had a briefer than we expected window where we could legislate health care and everything else. We needed to get all 60 Senators on bowrd to CREATE something (not the 50 the Republicans need to eliminate it). We were limited by all far we could push the right most Democrats.

Consider that it was Joe Lieberman who ruled out opening up Medicare so those between 55 and 65 could buy into it. We COULD have forced that and other issues, single payer etc, to a vote but if we know who was publicly against it, certainly Reid, Baucus and Kennedy did as well. We could have wasted the small window losing on much better plans than one we were able to pass.

Now, out of power everywhere, we can advocate for things that we now certainly do not have the votes for. Look at how inept the Republicans look failing to get 50 votes for anything. When we were in power, Reid and Baucus had to thread the needle to get a bill that passed with every Democratic vote.

Schumer, who was NEVER the most progressive Senator, is completely right to realize that Democrats are at a point where they need to redefine themselves. Ironically, everything listed are things that many of the Democratic leaders always said they favored, but were unreachable. The situation we are in means that there is greater risk now to NOT arguing our values.