Unhinged but accurate

Hubris Kills Democracy

Elderly Democratic leaders are holding onto power because they can't let go

By Lawrence WinnermanMarch 16, 2025 · 1 min read

Hubris will be the thing that kills our American Democracy. Other people wiser than me have articulated this concept, but I don’t think we’ve had a better example of how pride and inflated self-importance are destroying our ability to respond to the unprecedented times we live in.

Chuck Schumer is so convinced that only he can lead the Senate Democrats that we are now beholden to him and dying because of his inability to grasp the gravity of the current crisis. We need fresh eyes and more dynamic and responsive leadership.

Chuck Schumer has to go—and so do all of the Silent and Boomer Democrats who have clung to power for too long. Those seats belong to the American people, not to them personally.

Let’s at least write to our Democratic Senators and urge them to replace Schumer as Leader. It’s a start, but it won’t be enough…

Lawrence Winnerman

The science fiction writer

Lawrence Winnerman is a science fiction writer in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After twenty-five years leading technology programs at Amazon and Microsoft, he was chief operating officer of Blue Amp Media. In his Substack publication, The Hinge & The Near Field, he writes about AI and democracy and is serializing his novel Light Shines Through. He co-hosts The Daily Whatever Show. All stories by Lawrence