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Talk show host Jon Stewart suggested that even if Democrats win a massive victory in the midterms, a future Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and a future Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., will turn out to be massive disappointments.
Democrats were initially in disarray after President Donald Trump’s victory against then-Vice President Kamala Harris in November. However, as Trump’s base fractured amid the Iran war and the affordability crisis that followed, Democrats are expected to win a historic victory in this November’s midterms.
On Wednesday, Stewart was asked a humorous question on his podcast about whether the downside of a Democratic midterm victory will be Schumer and Jeffries getting more “airtime.”
“Look, I think what’s going to happen is they’re going to have to f—ing do something, they’re going to have to deliver,” he said. “They’re not going to be able — it will not be sufficient to make their entire personalities opposition to whatever Trump politics are; they’re going to have to have a prescription for rebalancing this economy in a smart and urgent way.”
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Comedy Central host Jon Stewart suggested that even if there is a massive blue wave, as anticipated, Schumer and Jeffries will fail to utilize the power they gain. (Phillip Faraone / Getty)
“I am not confident that is in their DNA,” Stewart continued. “I’m not confident that it’s in Schumer’s DNA, certainly, which means I’m actually hopeful he won’t be there as the leader. That they will come in and say, ‘We’re not going to go down that corporatist path again. We are going to make the changes that the American people are demanding that we make in an urgent way that is not bound by some idealized vision of what the parliamentarian might think is OK.’”
“F— that,” Stewart said. “Like, if you are granted control, if they give you the ring, do something with it, you b—–ds.”
Digital contacted Jeffries and Schumer and did not receive an immediate reply.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Veteran GOP strategist Mary Marslender told Digital she agrees with Stewart’s take.
“I agree with Jon Stewart that both Schumer and Jeffries are not confident leaders, but that’s because their ideology is power,” she responded. “They are not the brakes that will restrain the Democratic Party from pursuing a radical agenda. Instead, they often appease the more radical members of their conference and push the party leftwards on issues like the courts, federal agencies, government spending, progressive prosecutors, and immigration whenever they have the votes.”
“Both men have shown little willingness to challenge the party’s more extreme factions; for example, they have said they will welcome DSA candidates who win primaries into their ‘big tent’ party,” she added. “They are not centrists; they follow the prevailing political winds within their party and will implement those policies to hold power, even if those policies run counter to what the American people support.”
Former Democratic advisor Dan Turrentine argued that Stewart’s comments express the frustration Democratic voters have with party leaders.
“Voters are frustrated and angry that neither party is focused on them,” he told Digital. “We are winning because Republicans are losing, not because we are doing things well. The D ‘Majority Makers’ are not going to be the progressive, base candidates, but moderates, who will want to focus on common-sense affordability issues, not the ‘revenge’ and ‘blow everything up’ base stuff. Jeffries and Schumer will need to balance this to protect their majority while maintaining base enthusiasm. It is a ‘both’ and not ‘either/or’ scenario. Given how weak both are, and that they both will face a primary challenge next year, it is going to be tough.”
He added, “I think Stewart is indicative of the irrational expectations of the base. They don’t appreciate the different reasons different people are angry. We are not potentially winning in IA, AK, KS, TX, SC, for the same reasons DSA candidates are winning.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks to the media next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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