And Maria makes 42, with only 4 Democrats standing for war. Senators Cardin, Schumer, Menendez, and Manchin will cast their lots with Dick Cheney for war with Iran, but it will be a meaningless vote for them.
It won't be for me, however, and particularly with regard to Senator Schumer, who aspires to become the next Senate Democratic Leader when Harry Reid retires.
This is what happens when one supports war over peace. Witness Rep. Brad Schneider's dilemma after being one of the first to come out in opposition to the deal.
Democratic icon Abner Mikva switched his endorsement to Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering in the north suburban 10th congressional district primary, dropping former Rep. Brad Schneider because he is opposing the Iran nuclear deal.
...
In an “open letter” to Schneider, Mikva wrote,”When you first asked for my support, you assured me that you would not be dominated by AIPAC’s and Benjamin Netanyahu’s view on Iran. I signed on to your campaign in good faith, but have since been compelled to reconsider.I was disappointed when you came out against the Iran agreement, opposing your president and your party.”
Schneider senior advisor Valerie Martin said, “Good Democrats don’t always agree on every issue. And on an issue of this magnitude, Brad’s decisions are, and always will be, based on principles and understanding of the issues, not politics.”
And that last Schneider line is bunk. Pure, unadulterated bunk. The difficult decision would have been to support the deal, not oppose it. Opposing it was an easy enough thing to do, fear-based and without any knowledge of the facts. Supporting it was much harder.
Like Schumer, Schneider chose the easy road. But Schneider is not vying for Senate (Majority/Minority) leader when the current one retires. Schumer is, and quite frankly, he's shown his unfitness for the job.
Senator Schumer cannot serve two masters. He has to choose between AIPAC lobbyists, Dick Cheney and another war in the Middle East or the possibility of peace and the President's plan. The President who, by the way, is the leader of the Democratic party as well as the country.
Everyone seems to think Schumer is a shoo-in. I don't buy it, and neither should you. All of those "everybodies" also thought the Iran deal would come down to a veto override, too.
By the way, the bill to vote up or down on the Iran Deal requires 60 votes to send it to the President. The number 42 isn't a filibuster number; it's a defeat of the bill itself. Straight up.
