Schumer Turns Attack Dog for Dems

Sen. Charles Schumer has been quiet the past few years, with the onetime attack dog turning to bipartisan dealmaking. Now he’s among the Democratic Senate leadership—and as Congress wages war over taxes, he’s resumed his old role as a firebrand, writes Manu Raju for Politico. Over the past couple of days, the New York senator has been hammering Republicans for acting on behalf of America’s richest people—while Harry Reid and Dick Durbin have been noticeably quiet.

“We’re not sitting around waiting to get our head kicked in everyday; we’re going to present our ideas, win or lose,” says Alaska Democrat Mark Begich. One recent Schumer strategy sent Dems individually to the Senate floor with job-creating proposals, then blasted the GOP for standing in the way of cutting unemployment. “In the past, when Democrats had these kinds of cases, we have sort of thrown up our hands,” Schumer notes. “We’re not going to.”