Activists Hold Sit-In in Chuck Schumer’s Office to Protest Dem Party Establishment
On this exact day in 2012, Luke Russert asked Nancy Pelosi about private musings from Democrats that her and Steny Hoyer and other older Democrats continuing to stay in leadership roles “prohibits the party from having a younger leadership and hurts the party in the long term.”
At the time, Pelosi and the congresswomen around her weren’t happy about the question, which they perceived as ageist.
Fast-forward four years and liberal activists have perhaps reached peak frustrations with the Democratic party after Donald Trump‘s victory.
There was a big sit-in at Senator Chuck Schumer‘s office earlier today. Schumer is expected to be the new Senate Minority Leader in the next Congress, but activists with the slogan #ChuckOutWallSt made their voices heard today.
The protest, organized by #AllOfUs2016, was full of young people demanding that Schumer step aside and allow a fresh new wave of leadership in the party:
We are here to demand new leadership from @TheDemocrats. No more Wall St cronies or neoliberals. #ChuckOutWallSt pic.twitter.com/JmbtrZjTpz
— #AllofUs (@AllOfUs2016) November 14, 2016
I'm sitting in @SenSchumer office bc corporate Dems failed my generation. Time to #chuckoutwallst & let progressives lead. #Trumpvsallofus
— Devyn Powell (@DevynFromOregon) November 14, 2016
We are sitting in at @chuckschumer's office demanding he step down as Minority Leader. It's time to #ChuckOutWallSt pic.twitter.com/JrjaPTIKfq
— Max Berger (@maxberger) November 14, 2016
"Where is our party? The party of @chuckschumer and Hillary Clinton is not the party of the people?" – @waleed2go
— #AllofUs (@AllOfUs2016) November 14, 2016
"@chuckschumer grow a spine, democracy is on the line!" pic.twitter.com/d4NJKJrZ3W
— Max Berger (@maxberger) November 14, 2016
You can watch video from the almost-two-hour protest from the group’s Facebook page:
They have set up a petition online demanding that Schumer step aside and let Bernie Sanders be the Senate Minority Leader instead:
Insisting that trickle-down economics and corporate friendly policies are working is what lost Hillary Clinton the presidency—and that’s why we can’t let Wall Street Democrats like Chuck Schumer lead the party any longer. Schumer, as one of the U.S. Senators who has received the most contributions from Wall Street, exemplifies the establishment that voters across the political spectrum have rejected.
And even more appallingly, these same Democrats who failed to stop Trump are now signaling their willingness to work with him, saying we should “give him a chance to lead” before deciding what to do.
That last part is in reference to reporting that Democrats are figuring out ways to work with Trump on certain bipartisan issues and exploiting fissures between Trump and congressional Republicans.
Some of the protesters ended up being arrested:
US Capitol Police say they arrested 17 people outside of Schumer's office – charged w/ "Crowding, obstructing, or incommoding"
— Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) November 14, 2016
Protesters with @AllOfUs2016 being loaded into a police van. More than a dozen are risking arrest. #trumpvsallofus pic.twitter.com/QiLRUHwyuf
— Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) November 14, 2016
[image via screengrab]
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