Chuck Schumer couldn’t hold his senators together at a time when their unity and toughness were essential. And at a time when they were winning: most of the public was blaming Republicans for the shutdown, and pressure was growing to reopen the government (flight delays were mounting).

Does this mean Schumer should go? Yes.

But the issue runs deeper. There’s a fundamental asymmetry at the heart of American politics. Democrats are undisciplined. Republicans are regimented.

For as long as I remember, Democrats have danced to their own separate music while Republicans march to a single drummer.

That was the story in 1994, when Democrats had control over both chambers of Congress, but Bill Clinton couldn’t get the Democratic Senate to go along with his healthcare plan, on which Clinton spent almost all his political capital.

And again in 2002, when most Democratic senators voted for George W Bush’s resolution to use military force against Iraq.

It happened under Joe Biden, when........

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