It’s not easy giving up a good gig. I would know: In October I resigned from my job as the editorials editor of The Los Angeles Times after the newspaper’s owner blocked the editorial board, which I led, from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. Leaving was a wrenching decision, but I felt there was too much at stake to stay and be silent — even in a job that I loved. The only way for me to take a stand was to step down.

I expected that I would get some attention, but I was unprepared for, and a bit embarrassed by, the outpouring of support from strangers across the country who lauded me as some sort of hero. I was grateful for the many kind words, but I had just quit a job, not rescued a baby from a burning building. The response showed me that people are desperate for examples of principle and sacrifice.

I also realized that stepping down from a leadership role isn’t a surrender. Sometimes it’s just the right thing to do. Which brings me to the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer.

This month, after he abruptly switched course to vote with Republicans on a government spending bill — after all but one House Democrat voted against it — many in his party, including his longtime ally, Representative Nancy Pelosi, and the rising star Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, didn’t hold back their criticism.

The frustration directed at Mr. Schumer, New York’s senior senator, including from notable voices in the commentariat — he’s all but lost Jon Stewart — suggests this is about more than one vote. It could wind up being the final straw for Democrats exasperated by their party’s faltering response to the chaos unleashed by President Trump and Elon Musk since January. They’re tired of their leaders bringing a knife to a nuclear war.

The public overall isn’t much happier: A Fox News poll published last week found that 56 percent of voters think that “the job the Trump administration is doing identifying and cutting wasteful government spending” is “poor” or “only fair” and 65 percent say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned that “not enough thought and planning has gone into the government spending cuts.” Yet Democrats have managed to remain less popular than Mr. Trump: A March NBC News poll found that Mr. Trump has a 47 percent approval rating. And the Democrats? They are a whopping 20 percentage points behind.

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