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July 15, 2010
Pelosi and Gibbs May Need Beer Summit
Pelosi and Gibbs May Need Beer Summit
by Mary Katharine Ham
It's definitely going to take Obama's superior conflict management skills to smooth this over. Democrats are not-so-privately fuming over Robert Gibbs' admission on "Meet the Press" this week that Dems could lose the House.
"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."...
Pelosi also accused the White House of playing favorites with the Senate, where President Barack Obama served. She said that the White House gives help to Senate candidates while making damaging comments about House Democrats' chances in November.
Democrats still fuming over Gibbs comments
But senior Democratic officials on Capitol Hill said it's one thing for a pundit to state the obvious about the state of play in the election and quite another for a top White House official to offer an assessment that may depress the party's base just as officials hope to start revving liberals up.
"Members were hot - hot, hot, hot," one senior Democratic official told CNN about the private meeting Tuesday where House Democrats directed their anger at Dan Turton, a White House aide who attended the session...
The fear now among some top Democrats, in the words of one top party official, is that the Gibbs comments will "give the Republicans a big fundraising boost" as perception builds that Democrats are in even deeper trouble than already expected.
For a party relying on rallying its base to prevent a GOP wave, the message that the House could already be gone coming from the top of the Democratic Party— from the right-hand man of the guy who's supposed to inspire all these Democrats ala 2008—is not helpful, even if it is obvious.Steny Hoyer and other Dems disagreed with Gibbs' assessment more politely in public.
"Do I think he’s right in that there are enough seats in play? Probably close,” Hoyer said, “The fact that they’re in play does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that I think we’re going to lose the House.”
At the White House briefing today, Gibbs said he hasn't spoken to Pelosi about his "Meet the Press" appearance but would if given the opportunity. He described their relationship as "cordial."Funny, that's the same word Gov. Jan Brewer always uses to describe conversations with the administration officials who are suing her. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming about Republican infighting.
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Pelosi Slams Gibbs for ‘Politically Inept’ House Forecast
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.’”
A spokesman for Pelosi declined to comment Tuesday night.
Pelosi reportedly said Gibbs’ comments were particularly damaging because they give ammunition to Republicans trying to make the case that Democrats are going to lose in November. “Someone from the White House says it, and [House Minority Whip Eric] Cantor says it, so now you have both sides saying something,” the source said. “So she was very upset.”
At one point, the Speaker turned to Dan Turton, the White House legislative liaison, and demanded to know whether Gibbs was speaking for the White House or for himself. Turton said he did not think Gibbs’ comments were a coordinated statement, the source said
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Wild Thing's comment.......
Looks like Obama is runiing out of room under the bus.
It’s telling that they are more upset about losing seats in Congress than about a black racist wanting to kill ‘crackers’.
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.’”
She doesn’t know who he is?! LOL. She’s even crazier than I thought!
Posted by Wild Thing at July 15, 2010 05:55 AM
Comments
This could all be a sham too. Get the opposition to relax and forget about the election. Also, the dems could be interpreting this as a vote of no conficence from the white house.
Either way we can not listen to it or even take it into consideration. We go blinders on and only see to November 3 the day after the day of infamy.
I think it's a ploy generated out of desperation to jazz up their side. Gibbs reports only what he is told to report, he doesn't wing it out there he is the most scripted Press Secretary in a long time.
Posted by: Mark at July 15, 2010 07:34 AM
I think the Dems are coming apart as they realize they are pissing off more and more Americans. Yes, Pelosi is crazy. I don't think she is smart enough to be running a ploy.
Anyway, as you state Mark, we will see in November. It is not that far away.
Posted by: TomR,armed in Texas at July 15, 2010 07:03 PM
Thanks Mark and Tom so much.
The dems party has changed so much even more then ours with the rinos we have. They have gone so far off the cliff, my hope is that the dems like Zell Miller types will keep leaving the democrat party and see how destructive they are to all things America has been and should be.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 16, 2010 03:30 AM
She is such a cartoon loon!!!!! ;O)
Posted by: jan at July 16, 2010 08:31 AM
