Pelosi Angry Over White House Midterm Prediction

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Tuesday walked back earlier statements that Republicans could "no doubt" win control of the House this November, but that wasn't enough to placate House Democrats angry about the remarks.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats took aim at the White House in a closed-door meeting Tuesday night, according to reports, arguing that Gibbs' comments will hurt the party's campaign efforts in an already-challenging midterm election year.

"How could know what is going on in our districts?" Pelosi said to other Democrats Tuesday night, Politico reports. "Some may weigh his words more than others. We have made our disagreement known to the White House."

Pelosi reportedly grilled White House staffer Dan Turton, the top White House aide at the meeting, about the impact of Gibbs' comments. Such pessimistic remarks, the thinking goes, could dampen enthusiasm among Democratic fundraisers. (Of course, it could be argued that such comments could actually encourage donors by stoking concerns about a Republican takeover.)


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20010522-503544.html?tag=stack

[tridim]

1. Except it wasn't a "prediction" CBS "news". nt

[msongs]

2. dems better get out there and start selling their "accomplishments" & repubs = party of NO nt

[Pirate Smile]

3. He didn't predict they would take back control. He just said they could. Everybody with a brain

knows this.

[sabrina 1]

9. And no one with a political brain would say it publicly.

This is not the first time in recent months that House Dems have expressed concerns about the rhetoric coming from the WH harming their re-election chances.

Pelosi and other Dems met with WH personel several weeks ago to complain about Obama bashing both parties, and making negative comments, not just directed at Republicans, but including Dems and accusing both parties of 'partisanship'.

This post partisan BS is a loser. Why is the WH doing this still, even after Dems spoke to them about it?

My advice to Dems now is to detach themselves from the WH which, as they pointed out a few weeks ago, is NOT working to help them win, despite Dems, as they say now, caving to the WH on the Health Care bill.

They need to come out strongly against the WH Cat Food Commission. No more unity on wrong policies. That's why we have three branches of government, so that when one is on the wrong track another can steer the country back. This WH has been wrong on HC, wrong on Oil Drilling, they are wrong on Education and wrong on Social Security. Time for Congress to cut ties until the WH knows they mean business. They work for us, NOT the WH and they are getting slapped in the face for their loyalty, just like we were.

[Iowa]

12. Well said sabrina! Your posts are always on target.

[sabrina 1]

13. Thank you, it's nice of you to say that. I'm just tired of

watching Dems throw away a once-in-lifetime opportunity to undo at least some of the harm done by Republicans, for the worst of reasons, loyalty to a WH that is not being loyal to them, twisting their arms to vote for policies they knew would lose them votes at home. And then, including them constantly in their lectures about how the atmosphere in DC is so partisan.

I'm glad Pelosi has a little chat with them, but they didn't listen the last time. She needs to start looking around and understanding that the only place she can get support to keep a Republican resurgence from happening, is with the base. It's way past time to start fighting for the people even that means fighting WITH the WH.

[defendandprotect]

15. Insightful post . . .

My advice to Dems now is to detach themselves from the WH which, as they pointed out a few weeks ago, is NOT working to help them win, despite Dems, as they say now, caving to the WH on the Health Care bill.

They need to come out strongly against the WH Cat Food Commission. No more unity on wrong policies. That's why we have three branches of government, so that when one is on the wrong track another can steer the country back. This WH has been wrong on HC, wrong on Oil Drilling, they are wrong on Education and wrong on Social Security. Time for Congress to cut ties until the WH knows they mean business. They work for us, NOT the WH and they are getting slapped in the face for their loyalty, just like we were.

:applause:

[Frisbee]

4. That's nice....

Now if they could just find a way to get that upset with the repugs and stand up to them.

[november3rd]

5. Stoke a Public Takeover

Militate for expanded cable Public Access funding and production availability.

[droidamus2]

6. The point is..

Whether the semantics are the will or they could the Republicans always use the psychological tool of trying to frame themselves as the 'winners' prior to the fact to get some of those voters that just want to be able to say the day after the election 'I voted for the winner'. They try to influence the mindset of people that 'gee if the everybody says the Republicans are going to win maybe I should vote for them too'. Not every voter is as up on politics and current events as the people here on DU and can be easily influenced (why else would they spend so much money on political ads). Taking that into consideration we don't need members of the Democratic Party or the Liberal/Progressive movement helping them by adding to the echo chamber. In the echo chamber a lot of people don't differentiate between 'could gain control' and 'will gain control'. Maybe it goes back, I paraphrase, to the old Republican saying, 'if you don't have anything good to say about the Democratic Party then SHUT UP!'. Before somebody says I'm trying to quash decent or say we can't disagree with our party leaders that's not what I am saying. Sure on specific ideas or programs we have every right to disagree but in general we should do so in a way that says 'here I think I have a better solution' rather than 'hey my party stinks and I don't know if I'll even vote for them'. Is the Democratic Party perfect? Far from it but they are a hell of a lot better than having the Republicans back in charge.

[Bobbieo]

7. I believe Nancy has alot to be worried about after the Nov. election!!!

[DFW]

8. Doctor, Doctor, Mr. M.D. can you tell me what's ailin' me?

So went the Rascals song "Good Lovin'" in the mid sixties.

Yeah, I can tell you what's ailin' you.

You have Tim Kaine, meek, mild-mannered head of the DNC when what you need is for Howard Dean to come back and energize the Party and the voters.

When the Doctor was "in," we kicked ass. When he's not in, we risk getting our ass kicked. That's not a risk I am willing to take, so I'll be voting D again this fall (except for hoping for a miracle with Bill White, my vote is pretty useless in the midterms in my district of Texas, but I'm casting it anyway).

[backtomn]

10. Repubs "could" win the House......

....tell us something we don't know. Instead of complaining about Gibbs, what are we going to do about it. Oh...and this jobs "saved" thing is not going to play. We need to talk about teachers and first-responders still working......unemployment benefits still available....health care for all......and what is the alternative.

[Igel]

14. Sure they could.

I stay out of predictions.

However, I've posted in the past that the American people seem to like gridlock, when the Presidency/House/Senate are split 2-1 or 1-2. I might even have ventured that regardless of the polls, 2010 would be a difficult year.

There are two factors involved.

(1) Fairly trite: The party in power tends to lose seats in off-year elections. Dems in power; Dems most likely to lose seats. It didn't quite work in 2002, but then again that wasn't the conclusion of a very typical year in the Senate.

(2) Fairly harsh: Americans have seldom allowed any part the privilege of holding the presidency, the House and the Senate for more than two years. Note this is essentially a restating of some of the evidence for (1), since typically Americans do not bring Congress into political alignment with the White House in off years, but aligns them during a presidential election and then knocks them out of political alignment two years later.

Both those on the right 1/3 of the right and on the left 1/3 of the left hate gridlock almost as much as having their political opposition in power: Both stop what they want done from happening. Moderates and centrists tend to not want sharp turns. We'll see if the American voting public this fall will extend the privilege to dems to control both chambers or not. I think if dems made it clear they regarded holding all three centers of power as a privilege, not an inexorable march of history, an acknowledgement of their inner beliefs, or a fundamental human right, it would go a long way.

I think Obama understands this at some level. On the other hand, I think he usually forgets it and many of those around him or allied to him can't take it seriously.

[Jester Messiah]

11. "How could know" ?

I guess times are tough; CBS has apparently fired every last editor.