In failing to demonstrate what they stand for, Democrats fumbled the chance to show why they deserve a return to power, centrists and progressives say.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s calculated call to avoid a disruptive government shutdown alienates a political base enraged by President Donald Trump’s policies and frustrated at party elders’ cautious response.

Democrats have long found the flip phone Chuck Schumer still insists on using as an endearing quirk that illustrates how committed he is to his way of talking to all sorts of allies, all the time.