WaPo. "Shoot the messenger!" [View all]

[Grins]

As a WaPo subscriber I get "The Early 202" via a daily email.

Today's email hit a nerve. Its opening story was about the debt ceiling. Some snips:

Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with how the White House is handling the negotiations. Some Democrats... have privately groused that the White House has bungled the messaging, is putting Democrats in a terrible negotiating position and could be forced to eat most of McCarthy's demands.

“I’ve never seen such a massive, surprising and consequential potential failure. We'll see where this comes out, but by definition we're only measuring success on how much we lost.” - Dem Congressman.

Democrats point to substandard messaging from the White House and the lack of visibility from the president ...(who has) not spoken publicly at length about the debt limit. ...a stark contrast to McCarthy and his top negotiators, (who) have been holding court with reporters multiple times per day and hammering home their party’s message.

Anyone disagree with that? A test:

- Name the RNC spokesman.
- Now name the DNC spokesman.

I'll bet most got the first but not the second. The RNC spokesperson is always in front of the media, often multiple times a week. I can't remember the last time the DNC spokesman appeared!! A year ago? Longer?

On almost every major issue we seem to be responding after-the-fact. From Afghanistan, to inflation, to the price of gas, to the supply-chain, to Ukraine, and now the debt ceiling, we don't get out and in front of the issue(s).

My guess is there is some problem between the White House and the DNC, but really don't know. But it's a big problem. Will Rogers' famous line: "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." has become dangerously true.