Chuck Schumer says Democrats were 'too cautious,' 'too namby-pamby' in 2016

Americans don't know what Democrats represent, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in an appearance on ABC's This Week Sunday, because of his party's failure of policy vision and messaging in 2016.

"When you lose an election with someone who has, say, 40 percent popularity, you look in the mirror and say, 'What did we do wrong?' And the number one thing that we did wrong is we didn't tell people what we stood for," Schumer told host George Stephanopoulos.

"We were too cautious. We were too namby-pamby," he continued, touting Democrats' forthcoming economic plan as "sharp, bold, and [appealing] to both the old Obama coalition, let's say the young lady who's just getting out of college, and the Democratic voters who deserted us for Trump, the blue-collar worker. Economics is our strength, and we are going to get at it."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The plan in question is called "A Better Deal," and it will be announced Monday at an event in Virginia. Schumer described the plan's three components as "higher wages, less costs [of living], tools for the 21st century." Watch a clip of his comments below, or read them in full via CBS. Bonnie Kristian