Pelosi, Reid and Congress Thrown Under the Bus?
By Anita Finlay ("Ani") on July 15, 2010 at 12:00 PM in Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, DNC idiocy, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, National Debt, Obama Administration, Obama's Budget, Obama-Barack & President Barack, Politico, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi
In their article Pelosi Vents About Gibbs, Politico writers Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan shared that
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bashed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Tuesday night, even as the president’s top spokesman continued to backpedal from his assertion that Democrats could lose control of the House in the November election.
“How could [Gibbs] know what is going on in our districts?” Pelosi told her members in the caucus meeting in the basement of the Capitol Tuesday night. “Some may weigh his words more than others. We have made our disagreement known to the White House.”
The hostility escalated when Democratic lawmakers accused the White House of losing the messaging wars. Are some Dem lawmakers implying that if President Obama, Gibbs et al had done a better job of “selling” their non-working policies to the American people, House Dems wouldn’t be facing the prospect of such huge losses in November?
This is a wake up call to Ms. Pelosi and those who stand in lock step with her – If you have a good product – it sells itself.
I think we would prefer better crafted legislation to a better sales pitch. Putting the check mark next to the “DONE” box just to parade around with a giant gavel and goofy smile pasted on your face does not substitute for putting Americans back to work, passing health care legislation that won’t bankrupt the country or passing a stimulus bill that actually stimulates something beyond pet pork projects.
Even Arianna Huffington, a big Obama ally, has complained bitterly that the Wall St. reform package doesn’t go far enough or protect us from “too big to fail.” Then again, she is another political opportunist who has lately taken to agreeing with Tea Party protests and even Sarah Palin. She must be seeing the writing on the wall, too.
It is appalling that Congress does not intend to pass a budget this year — something else they wish to sweep under the rug so as not to damage themselves further in advance of the midterm elections, perhaps. Outrageous spending and a lack of responsiveness to constituents’ concerns is a far more reasonable explanation for the poor prospects of Democrats this fall than President Obama losing the “message wars.” How about winning the competence war and going on a few less vacations?
On Meet the Press on Sunday, here is what Press Secretary Gibbs had to say:
“I think there’s no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There’s no doubt about that. This will depend on strong campaigns by Democrats,” Gibbs said on Sunday.
By the next morning, Democratic strategists were fuming privately that he had handed Republicans a great fundraising and voter-motivation tool.
Gibbs and other White House officials have been backpedaling, in carefully measured steps, ever since.
Speaker Pelosi also complained that Obama favors the Senate and helps them in their fundraising efforts far more than he helps the House, which has shown great loyalty to him.
The Senate love fest may be coming to an end as well. Embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid went on the record saying that President Obama is not “firm” or “foreceful enough” with his Republican opposition. This prompted the bellicose Ed Schultz of MSNBC to complain Reid just called the President a “wimp.” The “timing is horrible” says Shultz. No kidding:
Looks like Harry doesn’t feel the wind at his back, given that Sharron Angle is besting him in the polls in Nevada at the moment. Other historically “safe” Senate seats are in trouble as well. Fiorina is polling ahead of Boxer in CA for the first time. Even Russ Feingold’s seat is not quite safe.
Apparently, Ms. Pelosi and her cronies missed the memo on how this politics stuff works.
The President is going to do everything he can to save himself. If that means throwing Congress under the bus so he can have a Republican foil to do battle against, making more of his straw man arguments, then he will. If that helps in his re-election bid, that is Job One.
Did Nancy and Harry think when they threw Hillary under the bus, they were going to be rewarded for it?
These two are not the only Presidents-by-Proxy to find out they are dispensable.
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