“Retirement Announcement Shakes D.C.” – Chuck Schumer’s run as Senate Minority Leader has come to an end.

If she runs, analysts say, she could win. The potential matchup represents a clash of two eras:

• Schumer: establishment, long-term power, institutional experience, traditional strategies.

• AOC: youthful energy, grassroots momentum, social media influence, and a fiercely loyal progressive base.

Even some Democrats who personally admire Schumer admit that he may no longer be aligned with the direction their party is heading. To many younger members, he represents a chapter they are ready to turn.

CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten intensified the conversation when he reported that Schumer’s approval rating has now fallen to its lowest level of any Democratic Senate leader since at least 1985.

The numbers are not just bad — they are historically bad.

And in politics, numbers matter.

The Shutdown That Backfired

The shutdown that bears Schumer’s name was supposed to be a bold demonstration of Democratic resistance — a strategic push to pressure Republicans on healthcare subsidies and other key issues. Instead, it quickly spiraled into a political debacle.

A blistering editorial from the New York Post described the shutdown as “pointless,” arguing that Democratic leaders were more focused on appeasing their left-wing activists than securing actual policy gains.Continue reading…