White House, House Dems To Hold Private Group Therapy Session
Oh god, Democrats are infighting again. Nancy Pelosi hates White House secretary Robert Gibbs! Most other House Democrats hate Robert Gibbs! Robert Gibbs probably hates someone too! Time to get these kids in a room and "clear the air."
This latest feuding is still the byproduct of Robert Gibbs' comments on Meet the Press over the weekend about how there are, in fact, enough seats in play this November for Democrats to lose control of the House. House Democrats were (and still very much are) furious at Gibbs for acknowledging this mathematical fact that everyone who follows politics already knew. It must have tapped a much deeper bitterness among House Democrats, though, who have passed everything the White House wanted in this legislative session and then watched their bills die or get watered down in the Senate. And now they feel that the White House is indifferent to House members who made tough votes for the president's agenda and are being left to fend for themselves in uphill reelection battles.
So House Democrats met last night, "in private," and of course all the juicy quotes immediately leaked. Nancy Pelosi got nasty!
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs during Tuesday night's House Democratic Caucus meeting for saying Sunday that Democrats could lose control of the House in November.
Several Democratic sources in the room described a testy scenario that started with Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (N.J.) criticizing Gibbs for saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" that there is "no doubt there's enough seats in play" to allow for a House GOP takeover in 2012. Things heated up as Pelosi jumped in and blasted Gibbs for making "politically inept" comments, according to one source.
"It was bad," another source said. "She was like: ‘I don't appreciate it. I don't know who this guy is. I've never met him before. And he's saying that we're going to lose the House.'"
Now poor old Barack Obama has to step in and play neutral arbiter, tonight:
President Barack Obama will hear House Democrats' frustrations in person Wednesday evening at a White House meeting, giving both sides a chance to clear the air over recent comments by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that Democrats may lose the House.
Break a pool cue in half, let 'em fight it out.
[Image via AP]