We bumped into Senator Chuck Schumer in Union Square today as he retail politicked his way through the Farmers Market. First impression: He’s shorter than you think. Second, I’m still pissed over what he and Kristen Gillibrand did to Al Franken.
By David Stone
Assorted Ideas, Large & Small
The scene was, to be honest, a little ridiculous.
There he was, one of the five most powerful politicians in Washington, posing for photos, staffers hauling Chuck Schumer signs behind him. They barked about meeting Chuck Schumer.
On reflection, it reminded me of the scene in Soapdish where Whoopi Goldberg hauls a dispirited, declining star, played by Sally Field, off to a mall in New Jersey. There, a flock adoring soap opera fans flock around her, restoring her ego.
But Chuck’s nowhere near as attractive or melodramatic as Whoopi or Sally. His aides? You couldn’t tell because they were lost behind the signs.
Quick chat with Chuck Schumer in Union Square…
It was easy getting in front of him because a lot of New Yorkers are indifferent to politics and politicians, right now. Had enough over the past year, probably.
Which sounded nice until I remembered him saying the same thing about Moscow Mitch, the Republicans’ obstructor in chief.
“Gotta get rid of the filibuster, Chuck,” I said.
“We’re working hard on it,” he said.
“Make Joe (Manchin) happy,” I added.
Manchin’s the West Virginia Democrat seen by progressives as the major obstacle against pushing forward with legislation, especially on SR1. That is, voting rights, top of the agenda.
“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine,” Chuck assured me.
Then, I felt a little deflated.
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What the Promenade Remembers
The light on the East River in the early morning is different from the light anywhere else on the Island. It comes in low and sideways, catching the water in long, uneven flashes. On certain days it makes the promenade feel less like a walkway and more like a corridor someone once meant to finish but never quite did. When I was younger I found the suggestion to stop and look at it faintly ridiculous.
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