Jon Stewart flames Chuck Schumer; Dems must get ready to govern

John Stewart has a plan for the Dems when they re-take office in January.

“Job one of this opportunity is to tear down the obstacles and old way of thinking that got us into this mess,” Said the “Daily Show” comedian. “Someone has to meet this moment and they have got to show — and this moment is not, ‘oh, we get to impeach everybody’ … like, you have an opportunity to actually govern.”

Democrats just secured some major political victories. But winning an election and keeping the trust of voters are two very different things. Democrats would be making a mistake if they assumed this victory automatically validates the congressional leadership that got them here. It does not.

On his podcast, “The Weekly Show,” Stewart went a step further, taking aim at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer:

“By the way, they’re already like, ‘Chuck Schumer deserves a lot of credit’ … Chuck Schumer fought tooth and nail against half of these [BLEEP] people! And even if he didn’t, he does not understand the urgency of the moment and what the future demands. I truly believe that.”

He went on to say that many senior leaders need to go, and folks should remember Schumer was the genius that brought us Haley Stevens. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, was the genius who previously co-sponsored Medicare for All legislation and then went on national TV and said he’s changed his mind.

Schumer and Jeffries were also congratulated by AIPAC on their wins this week.

“AIPAC congratulates the hundreds of pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans who won their elections last night. More than 234 candidates supported by AIPAC members have already won, with many additional races still too close to call. We congratulate Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the resounding victories for their caucuses.”

Meanwhile, both Schumer and Jeffries have faced criticism from progressives over their relationship with AIPAC and their reluctance to embrace candidates like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others.

The political landscape surrounding AIPAC is changing. Even Republicans are questioning our countries ties to Israel. The group and affiliated organizations spent nearly $30 million backing Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, an enormous investment that ultimately did not prevent progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed from winning the nomination. Then the group poured money into Mike Rogers campaign. El-Sayed still won the entire election.

But I digress. Democrats need to be careful — they cannot spend the next two years proving they are better at fighting Republicans than they are at improving people’s lives.

Yes, there should be accountability, investigations and credible abuses of power should be examined. For example, Democrats should investigate the reported interference with Ukraine’s access to Musk’s Starlink and Starshield systems, as well as the financial relationships surrounding President Trump’s family crypto ventures, including Binance’s role in facilitating his family’s stablecoin and Trump’s subsequent pardon of the Binance founder.

But hear me clearly: making impeachment the centerpiece of the new majority’s agenda would be a mistake.

I say that as someone deeply critical of Trump and his administration. Do not let governing fall to the wayside. People are seriously struggling out here. A recent AP Voter Poll found that 79 percent of voters said inflation had caused their households either moderate or severe financial hardship. That’s the reality Democrats need to confront. Groceries, housing, health care, utilities. These are not abstract political talking points. This is serious.

Schumer does not automatically have to become Senate majority leader, and Jeffries does not automatically have to become Speaker of the House. Those positions require support from their respective caucuses. Neither of them have an entitlement to the job.

This could be an opportunity to look beyond the familiar names and find new leaders, with fewer big-pocket donors, who are willing to speak to working families, connect with younger voters, challenge entrenched political interests and offer something more compelling than simply being the alternative to Donald Trump.

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.