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Democratic infighting spilled into the open this week when Rep. Ro Khanna publicly declared that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “is no longer effective and should be replaced,” a stunning break from party unity that exposes how fragile Democratic leadership has become. The rebuke from a sitting House Democrat underscores that the tensions bubbling under the surface are now visible to the public and to political insiders alike.
The immediate cause of the revolt was a contentious deal to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in modern history, a package that advanced with the votes of eight Senate Democrats even as Schumer voted against it. Those defections and the narrow path to reopening left progressives and many rank-and-file Democrats furious that party leaders failed to secure concrete protections for Affordable Care Act subsidies and other priorities.
Khanna’s critique wasn’t just political theater; it reflected real anger about skyrocketing insurance premiums and the fear that millions could lose coverage if Congress fails to act on subsidies. Progressives and outside groups have demanded accountability, arguing that the leadership’s inability to marshal the caucus turned a moment of leverage into a squandered opportunity.
From a conservative viewpoint, this meltdown is textbook confirmation that Washington’s ruling class is hollow and out of touch — they can bicker about leadership while ordinary Americans face the consequences of soaring costs and failing services. Democrats have built a coalition based on slogans and centralized control, and when the rubber meets the road they implode; that’s not just poor politics, it’s evidence their governing instincts are broken.
Not everyone in the party is ready to push Schumer out; House leader Hakeem Jeffries and other establishment figures rallied to his defense, insisting the caucus should stick together even as the fractures deepen. Those defenses are predictable, and they smell of self-preservation; voters don’t care about inside-the-Beltway loyalty when premiums rise and federal services wobble.
The larger lesson for the next election cycle is stark and unavoidable: a party that can’t manage its own leadership can’t be trusted with broad national responsibilities. Conservatives should point this out relentlessly — not as petty gloating, but as a sober warning about which party offers stability and common-sense leadership and which offers chaos dressed up as principle.
