The "Three Amigos" are Finally Getting Some Much-Deserved Recognition

In the run-up to the 2022 midterms, there's been a lot of talk about the "shellacking" Democrats took in the 2010 election. But we're also approaching the 10th anniversary of the 2012 elections. While that one included the re-election of Barack Obama, Democrats also gained back two of the six senate seats they'd lost in the 2010 midterms. Even more than that, 2012 gave us some of the new leaders of the party.

• Chris Murphy (D-CT) won the seat vacated by retiring Joe Leiberman
• Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Democrats,  won the seat vacated by the retirement of Olympia Snowe
• Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) beat Republican Scott Brown
• Tim Kaine (D-VA) won the seat vacated by the retirement of Jim Webb
• Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) won the seat vacated by the retirement of Herb Kohl

In addition, Brian Schatz (D-HI) was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the death of Dan Inouye, and in a 2013 special election following the death of Frank Lautenberg, Cory Booker (D-NJ) was elected. 

Demonstrating the renewal of Democratic leadership, that list includes the 2016 Democratic vice-presidential nominee as well as two 2020 presidential candidates. But I'd like to focus for a minute on the senators I've come to call the "three amigos" - Murphy, Schatz and Booker.

I first learned about Cory Booker by watching the documentary series, Street Fight, that captured his run for Mayor of Newark in 2002.

Booker lost that race, but went on to win in 2006. He served as mayor of Newark for 7 years - with his second term cut short by the death of Lautenberg and his run for the senate.

Of course, Booker went on to run for president in 2020, but never gained much traction - even though he consistently out-performed the other candidates during the debates. 

Nothing, however, catapulted Booker into the national spotlight more than the way he handled the confirmation hearings for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. I'm not the only one who noticed the way he demonstrated what it means to be an ally. Charles Blow recently wrote a column titled: "Cory Booker, 'You Had Our Back.'"

That “our” contains multitudes. It invokes all those who have left this world, or remain in it, who live or lived with the gnawing truth that “I’ve always had the talent, but I never had a chance.” That “our” is Black people. “Our” is Black women.

Judge Jackson’s achievement is her own, earned and deserved, but she rose on and was covered in the prayer power of millions of Black women...

During the hearing, Booker delivered an impassioned speech in which he avowed: “You have earned this spot. You are worthy. You are a great American.” Jackson pushed up her glasses and wiped away tears. Booker’s affirmation had touched the tender spot.

One month after Chris Murphy was elected in 2012, the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took place in the congressional district he had previously represented. In many ways, anguish over that event shaped his early tenure in the senate. 

I remember first noticing Murphy when his response to the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida was to take his frustration about the lack of progress towards commonsense gun safety measures to the floor of the senate for a rather spontaneous 15-hour filibuster. Eventually, 40 Democratic senators joined him. 

Last week Murphy got frustrated once again and took to the floor of the senate. This time it was about those who are using their power to bully transgender and non binary youth. His message to them was simple: "Stop it! Grow up!"

Last night I just had enough. I’m sick and tired of transgender kids getting bullied. So I went to the Senate floor to call out the adults who relentlessly and shamelessly target these kids.

I hope you’ll watch this. pic.twitter.com/COK6QSGZy4

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 8, 2022

Almost no one was paying attention to Brian Schatz back in 2018 when Gabrielle Debenetti wrote about how the senator from Hawaii was working behind the scenes to develop a consensus among Democrats on issues like health care reform, student debt relief, and climate change. 

“I want Democrats in the Senate, Democrats running for Congress, to rally around an aggressive, progressive agenda. And it’s not a gotcha, litmus test–style agenda, but one that, if we enact it, would be on a scale that is equal to the problems, and has the ability to actually motivate voters. They know that we are in unusual times, and that being aggressive, and clear, and not doing half-measures is what these times call for,” explained Schatz, folded into a leather armchair in his office, in the back corner of the seventh floor of Capitol Hill’s Hart Senate Office Building, with bright blue fish-patterned socks poking out of his navy suit. “I also think it’s the best way to win.”

I first noticed Schatz when, in the run-up to the 2020 election, he teamed up with Murphy and Booker to raise millions of dollars for Democratic candidates on Twitter - and had a lot of fun doing it. Here's just one example:

Murphy: I just texted with Jaime [Harrison]. He says GOP $$ are flooding in and he needs help. Race is legit tied and Pence is holding a superspreader rally there today for Graham. We raised $125K last night. @brianschatz can we get that to $250K by end of day? He needs it.

Schatz: This is great news Murph. I will text Booker to see if he can boost too because he’s not as extremely online as we are.

Booker: Wow, NO YOU DIDN'T! @brianschatz didn't your Mother ever tell you... "Don't mess with Jersey." That said, your text did help. And YES! Please pitch in and help!

Schatz: Oh I don’t consider “extremely online” to be a compliment. Also just wanted to say that a few years ago Cory visited the suburbs in Honolulu and it was terrifying. We had vegan food and went snorkeling. It was a nightmare actually. He was saying hello to strangers and hiking too. At one point he spoke at a political event and was given a lei and took pictures with people. Mayhem.

That's when I started referring to these guys as the "three amigos." It's clear that they are not only friends...they know exactly what they're doing! 

The senator from Hawaii finally got some well-deserved national attention last week when he took on Josh Hawley.

Senator @brianschatz absolutely lays into @HawleyMO on the Senate floor. Worth a watch: pic.twitter.com/5weRBy0za2

— Sam Jeske (@Sam_Jeske) April 7, 2022

One of the things that seems ubiquitous with Democrats is that they spend a lot of time complaining about their party. Two of the standard complaints these days are that party leadership is old and doesn't do messaging effectively. I often wonder if any of these naysayers have actually paid attention to people like Booker, Murphy, and Schatz.