The week
Rachel Maddow of MSNBC says McConnell “gave in” to the demand for obstruction during his interview with Schumer
In an interview with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC on Monday afternoon, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) said his caucus would not allow minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Dictate the 50-year agenda led by Democrats 50 Senate or demand an end to legislative obstruction as a precondition for a power-sharing pact. “We said no to McConnell about the organizational resolution, period, so there are no negotiations on that,” said Schumer, suggesting he had a secret plan. “There are ways to deal with it.” Maddow included an update when she broadcast the interview on Monday night. “While we were broadcasting it now, and you were watching it, Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell released a statement that he is giving up on this” and will agree “to proceed with what Senator Schumer said he should,” she said. “Senator Mitch McConnell relented and Senator Schumer won the fight. That was quick. Let’s see what else we can do.”> As soon as the part of Rachel Maddow’s interview with Major Senator Chuck Schumer went live, Mitch McConnell aired a statement that he is giving up, ending the impasse. pic.twitter.com/9qR1jpKXkf >> – Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) January 26, 2021McConnell said he would allow the Senate to move forward because two Democrats reiterated their opposition to ending the obstruction, effectively taking that option off the table. Maddow asked Schumer about this too, and he did not respond directly: “The caucus joins the belief that I have: we must do big, strong and bold things,” said Schumer. The Democratic bench is also “fully united” that “we will not allow Mitch McConnell to dictate what we will or will not do” and “we have tools we can use”, notably the budgetary reconciliation process, “he added.” We will meet in a caucus and find out. “>” We will not let Mitch McConnell dictate to us what we will or will not do. “Here is the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, in his interview with Rachel Maddow, talking about the obstruction specifically and doing things happen. pic.twitter.com/xOAKWfe2Fu >> – Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) January 26, 2021Schumer also suggested that he is not interested in playing cat and mouse with McConnell Republicans again. See below.> “No we will repeat that mistake. “Senate majority leader Schumer cites the lessons of the Obama era by prioritizing legislation over bad republican ‘bipartisanship. pic.twitter.com/gpc1kBP45w >> – Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog ) January 26, 2021More theweek.com stories Josh Hawley knows exactly what he’s doing Biden didn’t actually remove Trump’s ‘Diet Coke button’ from the Resolute Secretary, White House clarifies that Trump should be prosecuted