Durbin vs Schumer -- what does DU think about a change in Senate Majority leader?

nashville_brook

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Sun Oct-31-10 11:22 AM
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Poll question: Durbin vs Schumer -- what does DU think about a change in Senate Majority leader?

Edited on Sun Oct-31-10 11:57 AM by nashville_brook

what do DU'ers think about this possibility? Do you favor Durbin or Schumer? Or, would you just be glad to see Reid keeping his powder dry as a private citizen? Or, is it just too ugly to imagine that Sharron "the obtuse" Angle get int he Senate under any circumstance?

here's some articles on the subject:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/10/majority_leader_schumer_or_dur.html

Majority Leader Schumer or Durbin is fine by me

(snip)

Durbin and Schumer would bring different skills to the caucus and the chamber and send different messages about the intentions of the Democrats. Durbin is well-liked. He's from President Obama's home state and is close to him. He's known as a conciliator. A Majority Leader Durbin would send a signal that Senate Democrats are interested in working with Republicans.

Schumer might not be well-liked in the manner that Durbin is, but he certainly is respected. He's a strategist with a laser-like focus on the end goal, and he's not afraid to break some dishes to reach it. After three years of somewhat competent but not-so-inspiring leadership, a Majority Leader Schumer would be espresso to Reid's warm milk.

If Reid loses, we won't have him to kick around anymore. But if he survives and the Democrats hold the majority, perhaps Durbin would be the better choice for leader. If the Democrats are somehow in the minority, then Schumer would be the best pick. He'd make sure everyone knew who was at fault for any obstruction. But no matter what, a Majority Leader Durbin or a Majority Leader Schumer would be a welcome change from Majority Leader Reid.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-durbin-senate-1031-20101031,0,3864169.story

Durbin could become majority leader if Harry Reid loses Tuesday
Illinois senator could become majority leader, but at a price for Democrats

WASHINGTON � Three big ifs separate Sen. Dick Durbin, of Illinois, from the influential role of Senate majority leader.

The job is up for grabs only if Nevada voters oust the current leader, Sen. Harry Reid. The second if: Democrats would have to hold on to a majority of Senate seats in Tuesday's election. They have a 59-41 voting majority. The third if: Durbin would have to triumph when Democratic senators, behind closed doors, vote for a new leader. Sen. Chuck Schumer, of New York, one of Durbin's Capitol Hill housemates, would be a likely rival.

Durbin, 65, is assistant Senate majority leader, the No. 2 spot after Reid. Schumer, 59, is vice chairman of the Democratic conference, the No. 3 job. Both declined to be interviewed.

But behind the scenes, observers said, the two quietly are lining up potential votes while actively campaigning for Reid's re-election.

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/69268/
Chuck in Charge
Schumer to be Dem Savior?

The majority leader of the United States Senate gets a beautiful office with a dramatic view of the National Mall. Which is a swell perk. But this won�t, next year, come close to compensating for the brutal headaches that will come with the role: a margin thinner than Taylor Swift; hand-to-hand partisan combat; nonstop fund-raising demands; the inevitable need to suck up to Joe Lieberman. So would Chuck Schumer be any good at the job? And what would be in it for New York?

(snip)

Schumer�s reward would be a task that�s daunting even in the best of political times. �There�s always a crisis, there�s always a member standing outside your lobby who has to see you immediately,� says former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle. �It�s difficult when the margins are small, especially with the increasing dependence on getting to 60 votes to get anything done,� says Sheila Burke, who was Majority Leader Bob Dole�s chief of staff. �You can�t assume you�ll hold all of your own folks, and coalitions are always shifting. It�s also going to be uniquely challenging because of 2012. You�ll have a deeply divided body in the Senate anticipating the presidential election at the same time that the White House is leaning on a Democratic majority leader to get its agenda through.�

But Brooklyn�s bike-riding, tough-minded senator could be a man for the miserable moment. He loves political infighting in a way that Daschle never did, he�s a voracious fund-raiser, and he�s a far more engaging media presence than the flinty Reid.

Schumer has also developed some quieter skills. �He has a history of working across the aisle, which will help,� Burke says. �I was in a meeting with him about additional money for teachers and Medicaid, and we were talking about how the mayor could help move the issue along,� says Howard Wolfson, a former Schumer aide who is now a deputy mayor to Mike Bloomberg. �It reminded me of reading Robert Caro�s books about LBJ. Chuck went through a list of all the undecided senators and gave an incredibly detailed analysis of each.� Yes, New York got the funds.