In a private meeting Monday—not just any old private meeting, but a 90 minutes long private meeting!—New York senator Chuck Schumer was reassured by secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel that he didn't mean the many things he's said over the years and didn't stand by the many votes he's cast over the years. And while Schumer graciously allowed that "the Senate confirmation process must be allowed to run its course," he hopes "that Senator Hagel’s thorough explanations will remove any lingering controversy regarding his nomination."
Former New York City mayor Ed Koch, who supported President Obama's reelection, says the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense will be a test for Senator Chuck Schumer:
Senator Chuck Schumer does not know President Obama's position on Jerusalem:
Schumer is asked about Obama's position after Democrats removed this pro-Israel language from this year's party platform: "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths."
President Obama just announced from the White House a plan to maintain current tax rates for the middle class, while hiking the tax rates for those earning above $250,000 per year. And while Republicans have already voiced opposition to the president's plan, Democrats are now beginning to express their dissatisfaction.
New York Democratic senator Chuck Schumer has so far remained on the sidelines in the contentious Democratic primary in New York's Eighth Congressional District between Charles Barron and Hakeem Jeffries. Reid Pillifant of Capital reports:
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has come out against fellow Democrat Charles Barron, a House candidate for the state's Eighth Congressional District. "Any candidate who is anti-Israel does not share Senator Gillibrand's values," says spokesman Glen Caplin in an email to THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
Two of the top Senate Democrats are blasting Republicans for inaction in Congress. They blame the Republican House for not passing laws, even though Democrats control the Senate and the White House, and even though their own aides said months ago that nothing would get done this year, in an election year.
ABC host George Stephanopoulos asked New York senator Chuck Schumer this morning whether Democrats should return Bill Maher's money. Schumer responded by saying "no," because "Bill Maher is a comedian who is on at 11:00 at night but has very little influence on what’s happening here."
New York senator Chuck Schumer commented on Mitch Daniels's Republican response to the State of the Union Address at a press conference today on Capitol Hill. "The Republican speaker last night, Mitch Daniels, talked about Americans must talk about the state of the union as grave," Schumer said. "So, we think we are in great shape. We are in good shape."
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg: "I have message to the person who attacked us and the people who are behind it: You're not going to destroy us. You're not destroying our democracy and our work for a better world. We're a small country but a very proud country. No one can bomb us to be quiet. No one can shoot us to be quiet. No one can ever scare us from being Norway."
There's a conspiracy theory floating around some of the fever swamps on the right that goes something like this: President Obama's economic policies aren't merely misguided; his policies are designed to hurt the economy in order to bring about a more socialist state and consolidate power. "This is a well thought out plan to collapse the economy," as Glenn Beck has said.