Newsmakers meet New Yorkers as host Brian Lehrer and his guests take on the issues dominating conversation in New York and around the world. This daily program from WNYC Studios cuts through the usual talk radio punditry and brings a smart, humane approach to the day's events and what matters most in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy, and many others.
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Sen Schumer: Democratic Strategist, Mouthpiece and Potential Party Leader
WNYC's Washington correspondent John O'Connor discusses U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer’s role as the Democrat’s policy and PR strategist, communicating issues through punchy catchphrases and making a case to replace Senator Harry Reid as the Party’s leader.
In the past Sen. Schumer has acknowledged that Republicans have been more effective in communicating their messages. O'Connor said at the urging of Hillary Clinton, Sen. Schumer transformed what is known as the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center (DPCC) from an office of "policy wonks focused on the budget or foreign relations, into a Democratic messaging machine."
One of the more popular slogans to come out of the DPCC is the "do your job" slogan, which was echoed by Democrats in response to Republican's strategic delay in voting on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in the wake of the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February.
Twitter shows the hashtag #DoYourJob has been tweeted 600,000 times since Scalia died.
O'Connor said Sen. Schumer's role in the DPCC is one of several reasons he's the presumptive successor to Minority Leader Harry Reid who plans to retire after the general election in November.
@BrianLehrer It's high time the Dems caught up with the GOP on messaging!
— Virginia Rietz (@ginzinger) June 15, 2016