Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) loves to bask before a camera – any camera – whether it's to pontificate, grandstand or merely shoot the breeze. Indeed, among current lawmakers in Washington, Schumer has more appearances on Sunday talk shows alone over the past six years than nearly all of his colleagues on the Hill.
Which makes what just occurred, er, unique. Schumer just cancelled a media availability where the New York lawmaker could explain his decision to oppose President Obama's diplomatic agreement with Iran, with reports hinting the White House may have been involved in scuttling his rollout. This after Schumer buried his announcement during last night's Republican presidential debate, hoping the move would be muted by Donald Trump's insults and Mike Huckabee's one-liners.
The move backfired. Spectacularly. Immediately, MoveOn declared a funding strike against Schumer and stated that "Senate Democrats should be prepared to find a new leader." It's a sentiment which echoed immediately throughout liberal and progressive circles, including heavy-hitters in the Democratic party.
However, not everyone is pillorying Schumer. Republicans have lined up to congratulate the New York lawmaker for standing against his President with messages that seem to border somewhere between sincere and humorous trolling.
Republican lawmakers weren't the only ones thrilled by Schumer's decision. AIPAC, which along with President Obama has placed more lobbying pressure on Schumer than any other entity, was quite pleased to see Schumer stand out so far as the only Senate Democrat to oppose the deal.
The victory for AIPAC is a pyrrhic one, for while getting the prominent Jewish lawmaker to oppose the Iran deal is making headlines, it likely won't make much of a difference in the final vote, with opponents unlikely to pick off enough Democrats to override an Obama veto. Additionally, AIPAC's entire anti-Iran lobbying effort, preceded by its partnering with Netanyahu and subsequent alignment with Republicans, belies a partisan shift which will inevitably lead to the hawkish Israel lobby's decline. Even more so once the Iran deal passes.
Of course, nobody should be surprised by Schumer's vote. After all, he vociferously supported the Iraq war and once stated that it's good policy to "strangle [Gaza] economically."
In the end, if the Iran deal passes, Schumer may be partially forgiven by party leaders. However, his vote won't be forgotten, and that may end up being one of the great victories for Democrats to come out of the Iran deal.
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David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, recently published by Oneworld Publications.