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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: Democrats ‘Better Stand For Something’

By Josh Moorcroft
Published on: 21:04 PST, Jun 25, 2017

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer claims that you can expect to see a stronger agenda from the party this summer, claiming that his party “better stand for something.”

According to The Guardian, Schumer, who has served as Senate Minority Leader since January, claims the party will lay out a “strong, bold, sharp-edged and common-sense economic agenda,” in order to better define itself as an alternative to the Trump administration and overturn Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate in 2018.

In his comments, Schumer was reacting to the Democrats’ loss of the high-stakes special election last week in Georgia’s Sixth District outside Atlanta. He said that the number one lesson that the party has learned from Jon Ossoff’s loss in Georgia is that it needs to present a bold platform that better appeals to the country’s middle class.

“I think if we come up with this strong, bold economic package, it will… change things around,” Schumer told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on This Week. “People don’t like Trump; he’s at 40 percent [approval rating.] But they say, ‘What the heck do the Democrats stand for?’ We better stand for something, and it can’t be baby steps.”

During the interview, the New York Senator also addressed the health care bill unveiled by Republicans on Thursday. Schumer claimed that Republicans in the Senate had a 50 percent chance of passing the legislation, which he branded as “devastating.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to bring the bill to a vote before Congress breaks for recess on July 4, however, so far, five Republican senators have voiced their opposition to the bill in its current form, with Schumer claiming that it will be difficult for the party to pass.

The Better Care Reconciliation Act was unveiled by Republican Senate leadership on Thursday after negotiating behind closed doors. The private negotiations drew criticism and concern from Democratic senators and some Republicans, with Schumer calling for both parties to collaborate on the bill, which is designed to serve as a replacement for Obamacare.

According to The Blaze, in the interview, Schumer also appeared to attack Hillary Clinton, who served alongside him as a New York senator between 2001 and 2009. Schumer said that after losing an election, you shouldn’t blame others, only yourself. Following Hillary Clinton’s surprise loss to Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election, the former Secretary of State and First Lady has blamed a number of outward contributing factors, including claimed Russian involvement in the election for her loss.

[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

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