Chris Murphy for Senate Minority Leader?
Democrats need a nonviolent fighter with strength and integrity.
After Chuck Schumer’s craven support of last Friday’s fund-slashing GOP continuing resolution bill, almost everyone says he needs to be replaced. Some have suggested Sen. Chris Murphy for Senate Minority Leader.
Sen. Chris Murphy for the Job?
Chris Murphy would make an able Senate minority leader. He also has integrity. I noticed because, for a decade, I’ve kept a list of noncorporate political candidates. Murphy made the 2024 list when his campaign purposefully stated its rejection of corporate PAC contributions.
You may ask, “Why didn’t Murphy do that sooner, if he has so much integrity?” I am not sure. But I do know this: it is difficult for individuals to extricate themselves from a corrupt system. I grant “kudos” to anyone who pulls it off.
Known for his staunch advocacy for gun control, in 2024 "Murphy said he is now 'determined to right another wrong' when it comes to his reelection and promised to not accept any corporate or political action committee donations in his latest Senate campaign."
Bidenomics Boosted Democracy
The emerging economic policies of Bidenomics may have buoyed good-intentioned Democrats like Chris Murphy. (Two other incumbents were also added to the 2024 list.)
How so? President Joe Biden actively battled corporate power. (Which is probably the real reason he was not reelected.)
The hitherto corporate-friendly Joe Biden came to see that corporate power overwhelmed democracy and the American way of life. As President, he began to curb that power. He supported labor unions with his presence on the picket line. He aimed to invigorate market competition. And he began to bring manufacturing back to the US—with the stipulation that workers in these jobs would earn good union wages.
Bidenomics was the backdrop to restoring democracy and the American Dream. Imagine how the good guys and gals in Congress loved that! There is strength in unity. For the first time, in a long time, they could stand up to corporate power with the backing of the U.S. President.
Can Murphy Exert Impact?
Now we are considering Sen. Chris Murphy for Senate Minority Leader. But we must ask if he could exert any impact in that role. He has integrity. He has the fighting spirit. But what kind of power can a Senate Minority Leader, or any lawmaker in Congress, possess when the rule of law is null and void?
On Saturday, the Trump Administration ignored the court order issued by a federal judge, when two airplanes transporting alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador were told to turn around. Many legal experts have warned that a Constitutional crisis officially begins when Trump outright refuses to follow court orders. That has now happened.
A new regime doesn’t play by the old rules of a government that it overturns. It makes its own new, shiney rules. So how can a Senate Minority Leader, from the old guard, block a new regime?
Instead of talking about Democratic Congressional leaders, maybe we need to discuss who can fill the office of a great strategic General. There needs to be an impactful movement of nonviolent warfare that resides outside of government. We need a Gandhi.
In my mind’s eye, yes, I can picture Chris Murphy taking on that role.