Adam Schiff — a “scumbag,” a “scumbag,” and a “little pencil neck,” to use Donald Trump’s caustic expressions — has taken the high road, turned the other cheek, and all that. Ignoring this generally makes you a better person. And he promised to do whatever he could to work and grow in Washington, D.C., where MAGA is intensifying.
That’s right, California’s newly elected Democratic senator needs heavy security to get through life thanks to hostility and violent threats provoked by a vengeful president-elect.
No, his views on Trump and his rhetoric, “hate, division and bile,” as Schiff put it, have not changed.
Still, he insisted, “I’m focused on accomplishing what the voters elected me to do: lower the cost of living.” Specifically, lowering housing and child care costs, building more housing, addressing homelessness, addressing rising food prices, and addressing the hardships facing working and middle-class households. . ”
“Republicans campaigned and Trump The issues on which he was campaigning are partly the same.” . “If they are serious, they will find willing allies.”
Asked about President Trump’s threat to target California, perhaps the epicenter of the anti-Trump resistance movement, Schiff said, “We want to protect our state and our democracy, punish California, withhold resources from California, and protect people’s lives.” We will stand up to any efforts to curtail the rights of people.” And freedom. ”
“But I want to start with the hopeful expectation that there are broad areas where we can work together to move our state and country forward,” he said.
There is a history of California congressmen trying to advance from the House to the Senate to no avail. The state was too large and too fragmented, both physically and emotionally, for legislators representing just a small portion of the state to make the leap to statewide success.
In recent years, things have changed with the advent of social media, especially cable television and its political talk shows, and Schiff has become famous not only in California but nationally.
Of course, it was Schiff’s role as a powerful prosecutor and Trump opponent that made him a hero among Democrats and led to his formal questioning by the House. It was a political gift as he ramped up his Senate campaign in a crowded Democratic field. The only thing missing was the shiny wrapping paper and bright red ribbon.
Schiff had reason to smile after being formally censured by House Republicans, but the move was a big boost to his campaign in the Senate.
(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Schiff did not mention Trump in his victory speech Tuesday night. (He thanked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who pushed Schiff past fellow Democrats to the top two spots in the primary, only to face hapless Republican Steve Garvey in November.) ) Schiff talked about the president-elect during the conversation. Only when asked.
Some speculate that Trump will use his second term as president to repair the deep divisions created during the past tumultuous decade. In this rosy view, Trump will never run for office again and has a legacy to consider. Fantastic concepts are clearly the triumph of hope over experience. Recall the many hoped-for “presidential pivots” that did not materialize during President Trump’s first presidency.
But Mr. Schiff shrugged rhetorically.
“I don’t think we actually know,” he said. Trump “doesn’t have much of an ideology outside of himself. So maybe it depends on what he thinks is in his own interests.”
Because we cannot control President Trump’s actions, Schiff continued. “My focus is on what I can do, and what I can do is look for people on the other side of the aisle. Try working like Dianne Feinstein. Developing relationships with people. Get to know the Central Valley, the far north and the far south of the state. Represent them positively.”
Schiff, who just returned from California, spoke via Zoom from his home office outside Washington. Behind him, next to a roll-top desk, were framed photographs of two sets of brothers: John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and Schiff and his older brother, Dan.
He said Trump’s victory was clearly disappointing, but not shocking. That’s because of deep economic anxiety and a sense that Trump and the Republican Party are offering voters better solutions than Democrats have been able to deliver over the past four years, he said.
“You’ve probably heard me talk many times on the campaign trail about how today’s issues are not about people. [aren’t] work. Unemployment rate is very low. The problem is that even though they are working, they are still struggling to survive,” Schiff said. “This is a problem that has been solved for decades, and certainly the pandemic has made things worse, and I think we’re going to see a global backlash against the status quo and incumbents everywhere.
“I think it’s frustrating that despite all the promises that have been made, people’s lives are still increasingly difficult and difficult.”
The challenge for Democrats in the coming years will be to find better ways to address and improve these serious concerns, he said.
When asked what his top priorities will be as a senator, Schiff replied:
“I think housing is at the top of my list. We need to build more housing in California to help people pay rent and buy their first home. Solve homelessness. We will need to build more housing.”
Schiff then added, “I also want to expand child care and make it more accessible, prioritizing child tax credits and financial support for people pursuing careers in child care, and encouraging employers to “We intend to create incentives for childcare workers.” The federal government requires workplaces to build child care facilities. ”
He also said, “We will attack food prices by pursuing these anti-competitive mergers, attack climate change by continuing to invest in renewable energy, and seriously tackle water issues.” Ta. It’s not a joke. ”
Much of that is much easier said than done now that Republicans control the White House and likely both houses of Congress.
But Schiff said he’s no stranger to working hunched over defensively. The Sacramento state senator said Republican Gov. Pete Wilson “got a lot of my bills signed into law.” “I got a lot of signatures on my bills. [Republican President] “George W. Bush and a Republican Congress will also move forward,” said Schiff, who has served in the House since 2001.
Considering his re-election in 2030 (this is your friendly columnist’s idea, not something Schiff already thinks), the soon-to-be senator wonders what a successful pitch will look like in six years. I was asked if I thought it sounded like .
“He really served the state,” Schiff responded. “Everywhere in the state. He got things done, found ways for minorities and majorities to work together, and got results.
“And when the country needed it, he was there to protect our democracy, our rights and our freedoms,” Schiff added.
