Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) is not having a very good month. The Senate minority leader was supposed to be on tour promoting his new book, Anti-Semitism in America: A Warning, but the tour was postponed due to security concerns after Schumer's refusal to shut down the government infuriated his fellow Democrats, as well as the liberal activists who excel at showing up to events uninvited and making a scene. Hamas supporters were already outraged over Schumer's insufficient support for the genocidal terrorist group, so the book tour was likely doomed no matter what. But that's the least of Schumer's problems.
Lots of outrage is typically helpful when promoting a book, but only so long as other people actually want to read it. Unfortunately for Schumer, the book has no constituency. Everyone hates it, which is typically not very helpful when it comes to selling books.
Washington Post reporter Emily Tamkin, a former Schumer intern, was not a fan of Anti-Semitism in America. In a review for the struggling paper, Tamkin argued that Schumer's book failed to "live up to the moment" in part by failing to condemn Israel for committing "genocide" in Gaza and by neglecting to forcefully denounce Donald Trump and the Republican Party as the real anti-Semites. Reading it made her realize she "didn't want a warning about anti-Semitism" from Chuck Schumer. The New York Times has yet to publish a review.
A review in the Forward, a progressive Jewish publication, was similarly dismissive. Reporter Arno Rosenfeld wrote that Schumer "manages to say remarkably little" over the course of a section on left-wing anti-Semitism as it relates to Israel while relying on "hackneyed talking points and anecdotes presented without proper context." He faulted Schumer for criticizing the "pro-Palestinian" terrorist sympathizers disrupting college campuses, where anti-Semitism "was actually relatively rare." Take that, Chuck.
Another liberal journalist, writing for something called Literary Hub, denounced Schumer for spending too much time writing a book about anti-Semitism and "not enough time taking decisive action against increasing fascism in America." Rolling Stone mocked him for canceling his book tour "after caving to Trump." Meanwhile, amateur reviewers on the Barnes & Noble website were also disappointed.
"Schumer, a career politician who’s perfected the art of standing for nothing and falling for everything, delivers a limp, pandering mess that reads like a ChatGPT-generated term paper titled 'How to Avoid Taking a Stance on Anything, Ever,'" one anonymous reader observed. "The prose is as inspiring as a soggy napkin. Every chapter is a grocery list of empty platitudes, reheated centrist clichés, and vague, milquetoast anecdotes that even C-SPAN would reject for being too boring." Others complained that the book was "poorly written" by an author who was "allergic to consequences" and did "not have any understanding of the topic."
Anti-Semitism in America currently has a rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon, where the list price has been slashed 30 percent since the book came out on March 18. "It conjures more than cowardice, it is the epitome of hypocrisy and betrayal," wrote unsatisfied reader T. Nguyen.
Schumer, 74, isn't up for reelection until 2028, but he is already facing pressure to retire or face a primary challenge, possibly from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who said Schumer's failed leadership had created a "deep sense of outrage and betrayal" among Democrats. "That's a long time away," Schumer told the Times. "I believe that my hard work against Trump will pay off."
