Remember when Chuck Schumer cared about New York? Or at least pretended to?
This was before he became Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate – a pretty big deal, though of little benefit to the people back home.
With New York City reeling under the $5 million a day cost of hosting President Biden’s migrants, it seems Schumer could be more energetically committed to border integrity.
Not at all.
And now Chuck-from-Brooklyn seems to care more about crime in Washington than the chaos in his hometown.
Defend the Empire
On Tuesday, Schumer did his part to quash local D.C. legislation that would have substantively inflicted on the district what New York’s erroneous criminal justice “reforms” did to the Empire State three years ago.
And good for him. DC doesn’t need more crime.
But neither does Gotham — and yet Schumer quietly looks away as Mayor Adams begs New York lawmakers to repair their damage.
Schumer would certainly be listened to: When old foe Andrew Cuomo left public life, Chuck became the unparalleled Incredible Hulk of New York politics.
Normally, of course, Schumer should stick to his DC duties and leave New York’s affairs to the elected leaders – as they are.
But therein lies the problem: true leaders lead. To date, Governor Hochul, Speaker of the House Carl Heastie, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have quietly watched as crime stifled the post-COVID recovery — never mind the human cost.
This is partly because they are progressive Democrats – the party has decided that the correct strategic response to the murder of a career criminal by a rogue cop was to scrap US criminal laws.
And so crime is now enjoying early ’90s-style revivals in venues run by progressive Democrats. Go figure.
Light chi of relief
But could this change?
Voters in blood-splattered Chicago kicked out Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week; the locals say this was all about crime.
Important people elsewhere seem to have noticed: The White House promptly made it clear that it was against DC’s crime bill — whereupon Schumer, rarely at the forefront of anything sensible, announced that he would vote with Republicans against the law. Since Congress has to pass important local legislation in DC, this effectively killed it.
And now comes the news that Hochul is pressuring the legislature to reverse his tragically ill-considered ‘reforms’.
“We’re talking about protecting society in a way that people think is common sense,” she said Tuesday.
Precedent suggests the key word here is “talk” – but if she means it, she needs help.
This is where Schumer comes in. Or could.
Long ago, the American Civil Liberties Union used to chew the senator’s leg on crime. “Whatever [Schumer] sees as the tough approach to crime is what he takes,” an ACLU attorney said at the time.
Oh, for the good old days.
But wouldn’t it be nice if Chuck-from-Brooklyn returned to those roots?
Stern calls to Hochul, Heastie, and Stewart-Cousins would be as much of a help in Gotham as his stature in DC.
Go for it, senator.
bob@bobmcmanus.nyc
