Trouble in Paradise

Pelosi and Read: at Loggerheads?

An interesting piece on the catty squabbling going on among congressional democrats from Politico.

Unfortunately, the reality does not match the rhetoric. Democrats’ infighting — behind the scenes and in public — is stalling their agenda. It is why Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said of the Obama administration’s top-down approach: “If Obama steps over the bounds, I will tell him.” Going much further than the typical “muscle flexing” seen between the executive and legislative branches, Reid twice remarked to the press that he does not work for President Barack Obama.

This tension is reflected in the current intraparty squabbling over the administration’s $3.6 trillion budget proposal. As Obama is learning, the old budget adage is true: The White House proposes, while Congress disposes — even when controlled by the same party.