Is There a Feud Between Pelosi and Obama?
The Democrats' stalled agenda and President Obama's insistence on continuing to seek out GOP cooperation has led to a "family feud" within the party, according to Politico. Democratic aides, however, say no such feud exists between the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Politico article was completely made up, some Democratic aides say, CBS News Capitol Hill Producer Jill Jackson reports.
The speaker has publicly aired some of her disagreements with the president, Politico notes, such as her opposition to exempting some Pentagon programs from the president's proposed spending freeze. The article contends that the speaker has become more open with her criticisms of the administration because she feels the White House chose the wrong approach to handling health care reform.
The Democrats' frustration over the time spent trying to negotiate with Republicans over health care is real, a House Democratic aide tells Jackson. However, the reported theories about Mr. Obama's motivations for those negotiations are overblown, the aide said.
The Politico article said Mr. Obama is seemingly attempting to boost his own image by emphasizing bipartisanship at the expense of Democrats in Congress, whose agenda has fallen behind in the face of Republican obstinacy.
"One Democratic official went further, saying some Democratic House members actually believe that the White House 'wouldn't mind having a foil, and that foil is a Republican [House] majority — that would serve their political purposes going into 2012," Politico reported.
A Democratic aide dismissed this theory "loose chatter" he has heard among some Democratic staffers -- but not among any congressional members themselves -- Jackson reports. The aide said the 2010 elections are as much about the president as about Congress, since it is the president's agenda on the ballot, and having a Republican-led Congress would not help him achieve his goals.
While there are some differences with the White House, House Democrats are more frustrated with the Senate, a House leadership aide said, Jackson reports. The House in the past year managed to pass a cap-and-trade bill, a comprehensive health care bill and most recently, a jobs bill. The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to finish any of those major goals.
While House Democrats may or may not feel "seething resentment" toward the White House, as Politico put it, some are certainly asking the president to show more leadership on key issues. "The president is still the ultimate game changer," Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said with respect to health care on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged."