Comedy Central’s Daily Show host Jon Stewart is backing calls to reject Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as soon-to-be anointed Senate majority leader, demanding Democrats instead find somebody new when they seize their congressional majorities in January.
Sixty-three-year-old Stewart, a longtime critic of Schumer as Breitbart News has documented, shared his thoughts on The Weekly Show podcast with guest Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
The sexagenarian pressed Sanders on whether Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) need to be swapped out for more dynamic leaders who do not rely solely on seniority protocols for their position, a call being made elsewhere amongst the left-wing Democrat support base.
“This gets into and it’s a much larger debate and it is very heated about whether Chuck Schumer should continue to be the majority leader of the Senate when it goes back over in January into that session, Hakeem Jeffries as well.
“Is he too tied to status quo solutions that maybe haven’t worked in the past? Is he too tied to the kinds of parliamentary protocols of the Senate and too deferential?” Stewart asked per a Mediaite report compiled by Zachary Leeman.
Sanders added despite positive feelings from many Democrats change must be delivered, “Do I think we need new leadership which is going to move the Democratic Party in a much more vigorous way to protect the needs of working families? Yes, I do. Absolutely.”
“His institutional knowledge is helpful, but if it’s not helpful to utilize to move the system urgently, then what are we doing?” Stewart countered.
Sanders named Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) as a new replacement. Van Hollen has indicated he is open to challenging Schumer’s position.
Stewart has previously said Democrats could govern more effectively if they remove people reliant on privileged seniority from leadership roles.
FILE/Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Jon Stewart, center, are seen in the Capitol before the Senate voted on permanent authorization of September 11th Victim Compensation Fund on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
In a recent podcast he declared, “One of the first things you need to do is remove that system of seniority from Democratic politics.
“It is a bullshit system and it needs to go. And they’re, by the way, they’re already like, ‘Chuck Schumer deserves a lot of credit for putting together this…’ Chuck Schumer deserves — Chuck Schumer fought tooth and nail against half of these fucking 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.”
For his part, Schumer claimed Tuesday he will be elected Democrat majority leader and that his caucus is united no matter what his foes may say, as Breitbart News reported.
Senate Democrats will pick their leader by secret ballot next month, with senators-elect taking part. Schumer needs a simple majority of a caucus projected to reach 54 to 56 seats.
Nobody has formally declared a candidacy against him.
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