Former Biden Rep Has Questions About Schumer’s Change
In a rare and pointed rebuke from inside the Democratic media machine, MSNBC host Jen Psaki lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday, expressing open frustration over Democratic defections that helped push through a GOP-backed “minibus” spending package — effectively ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
For a party that just weeks ago was painting itself as unified, emboldened, and riding a wave of electoral momentum, the sudden collapse in the Senate felt like a political whiplash.
Psaki didn’t hold back. Opening her segment with dramatic flair, she rolled a clip of Schumer from early October, fiery and resolute, railing against Republicans with ominous music and an emphatic “No f***ing way.”
In that moment, Schumer looked like a man ready to draw a line in the sand. But fast forward to Monday’s vote, and that fire seemed extinguished. Seven Democrats and Independent Sen. Angus King crossed the aisle to break a filibuster that Schumer himself had helped orchestrate just weeks prior.
It was more than a procedural backtrack — it was a narrative collapse. Psaki underscored how the political winds had, by all accounts, been blowing in the Democrats’ favor. Voters were blaming Republicans for the shutdown by a comfortable margin.
Democrats had notched key wins in high-profile elections across Virginia, New Jersey, and even deep-blue New York City. The party’s base was energized. So why back down?
That’s the question Psaki seemed most bewildered by. Her takedown of King’s post-vote social media video — where he suggested that “standing up to Trump didn’t work” — was dripping with disbelief.
“Um, no, that’s not the lesson,” Psaki quipped dryly. Her tone was part incredulous, part exasperated. And she wasn’t alone. Progressive lawmakers like Ro Khanna and Seth Moulton are now openly questioning Schumer’s leadership, with some floating the idea that it might be time for him to step aside.
Schumer’s gamble may have averted further shutdown chaos, but at a significant political cost. His reversal didn’t just anger left-wing media figures; it gave the impression of retreat right when the Democrats had the upper hand. In politics, perception can be as powerful as policy — and right now, the perception is that a moment of strength turned into a missed opportunity.