Has Obama gone to war with Nancy Pelosi?
posted at 11:30 am on February 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Did Barack Obama encourage Blue Dog Democrats to abandon the stimulus bill in the House? That’s the claim of Tennessee Democrat Jim Cooper, who told Liberadio Sunday that Obama encouraged him to vote against the bill. Cooper says that Obama knows it’s a “messy bill”, and wants a purer stimulus package. Cooper also says that Democratic leadership has treated its members like “mushrooms”, a reference to a pungent joke:
The joke Cooper references says that people should treat a particular group of people — I’ve heard reporters and management among them — like mushrooms: feed them BS and keep them in the dark. Cooper accuses Pelosi and his party’s leadership of doing just that in this interview. At one point, he says that Pelosi and her clique “live in fear” that their members will actually start reading the bills Pelosi & Co shove down their throats.
But that’s not the big news in this interview. Some have speculated that Barack Obama would have to go to war with Nancy Pelosi if he really wanted to push for bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. The stimulus package was the first and most critical piece of Obama’s domestic agenda, and Pelosi not only blocked Republicans from negotiating its terms, she filled it with non-stimulus spending that turned it into an omnibus appropriation bill, full of objectionable projects and embarrassing components, like contraceptive spending.
Small wonder that Obama might have taken offense to Pelosi’s ham-handed tactics and decided to respond in kind. If Cooper’s on the level, and I’m not sure why he’d lie about this, Obama might become a factor in a growing rebellion against the imperious Speaker and could help push her out – if enough Democratic House members get tired of the mushroom treatment.
Update: Kleinheider has the inevitable Cooper walkback:
At no point did any member of President Obama’s staff encourage me to vote against the House economic recovery bill. I told them I believed that the bill had too much long-term spending and didn’t meet the president’s goal of getting 75% of the money into the economy within 18 months. After the conversation, I felt encouraged that the administration understood those concerns and shared my longstanding commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Well, read again what he actually told Liberadio and see how the two statements can be reconciled. They can’t. Translation: the White House told him to “clarify”.
Blowback
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Pork-Fest in America…
Mark Garnett on February 4, 2009 at 11:34 AM
She could become just one of 500 million Americans who will lose their jobs this month.
carbon_footprint on February 4, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Careful, her guys carry scalpels!
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 11:34 AM
I was getting bored with it all anyway. Release the hounds!
perroviejo on February 4, 2009 at 11:34 AM
The sooner he declares war the better. Pelosi is far worse than Obama.
ernesto on February 4, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Well we now know who really runs the government!and it aint Barry!
grapeknutz on February 4, 2009 at 11:35 AM
i think it’s his plan… he plays off the moderate, “trying to lead” but nancy pushing a bit too far, when in reality he wants what nancy wants
i say its planned
battleoflepanto1571 on February 4, 2009 at 11:35 AM
That mushroom joke was in “The Daparted”.
Of course, all Democrat reps are both shite AND mushrooms.
TexasJew on February 4, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Oh please. Chances of this story “leaking” out if the stimulus was more popular. Zero.
Ya’ll are so gullible.
lorien1973 on February 4, 2009 at 11:36 AM
I so called this. Democrats will do whatever it takes to make Obama appear “centrist” and “moderate” despite his extremist policies.
JohnJ on February 4, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Bingo!
KelliD on February 4, 2009 at 11:36 AM
I don’t think they’re that smart. Certainly not smart enough to pull whatever it is that this liberado is trying to sell here.
They’re just a bunch of eff-ups…effing up. Not much else to it.
rollthedice on February 4, 2009 at 11:36 AM
WTF is a “purer stimulus package?”
One that is full of Zero-bama’s “green jobs?”
Nothing less than more tax cuts, including tax cuts for corporations, will work!
Jenfidel on February 4, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Good luck fighting Mars Attacks, Obama.
blatantblue on February 4, 2009 at 11:38 AM
I don’t see it though…he needs ‘Palomino’ Pelosi more than ever now that he’s been weakened a bit by these cabinet appointment blow ups. I suspect he doesn’t like the way this turned out, but not because he disagrees fundamentally with the contents of the bill…he just wanted the Republicans along for the ride to enhance the illusion that everybody loves him. But I can’t see him going along with the ‘swipes’ that Cooper leveled at Pelosi. Airing dirty laundry like that is very dangerous politically, unless he really plans to go all the way and stomp her and Reed backing into their place. I don’t think he has the chops to do it.
AUINSC on February 4, 2009 at 11:39 AM
“I Won” “Don’t listen to Rush”
Bipartisan no way. Gasbag Obama losing pressure..
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Ogabe’s trying to push Pelosi under the bus and, dammit, she just won’t go. Scrappy little harpy, isn’t she?
SKYFOX on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Or, it’s a way to get people to think that Obama’s more moderate than he really is. He’ll “fight” with Pelosi and get ‘em to cut a few things here and there, but in the end, the leftist agenda passes through.
lawhawk on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Good cop.
Bad cop.
carbon_footprint on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Barry might get a little respect from senate repubs if he showed some balls and told pelosi to stfu. Could give him some actual “integrity” that seems to be leaking out of every oriface in washington dc right now
UNREPENTANT CONSERVATIVE CAPITOLIST on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Didn’t Rush or someone say that Obama has made so many promises that he’d either be at war with his own party or at war with the American people? I’m actually shocked that he’s taking on his own party…
ballz2wallz on February 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM
The gop house are irrelevant so the President will keep her in check.
The GOP races Joe the Plumber to Capitol Hill for private advice on how to save themselves.
Perhaps they should listen to the mayors today instead.
The President wants to cap bailed out CEO salaries at 500 k.
I say 0 and fire them.
It’s called accountability people.
getalife on February 4, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Good lord . . . Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their gaggle of crooks, cheats, liars and dummies are about to lead us into the abyss.
rplat on February 4, 2009 at 11:41 AM
I think a duel to death between Obama & Pelosi on Pay per View could really stimulate the economy and probably wipe out the national debt.
izoneguy on February 4, 2009 at 11:42 AM
I say that they are victims, just like you and me, of Freddie, Fannie, and NINJA. If the Government requires you to eat BS to survive, then that’s what you are going to do, for better or worse.
At least Obama, who caused a bunch of this, has some compassion for his victims…
unclesmrgol on February 4, 2009 at 11:43 AM
This is like Iran and North Korea nuking each other.
Chuck Schick on February 4, 2009 at 11:43 AM
I dont get how he could do that. If it’s not the Republicans that are the “obstructionists” people maybe start to think , and then he’s in deep water.
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 11:43 AM
500 Million Americans losing their jobs. We don’t have 500 million americans. They must be counting people with 2 or 3 jobs. Maybe they are using democrat math…the one where you take the correct number and multiply by any number that comes to mind at the moment.
Give Nancy credit. She does it all with a straight face.
kanda on February 4, 2009 at 11:44 AM
With all due respect, the time for more tax cuts has passed. Bush helped lessen the tax burden, but income inequality has now become too high to justify more tax cuts for the wealthy. Im not saying thats the way it should be, but thats how it always works. The last time we had income inequality this high was 1928-29. Sooner or later when wages remain stagnant while upper level income skyrockets people being to question the rationale. That has begun.
Put simply, selling tax cuts to corporations is a political non-starter. Besides, what good would more tax cuts do in terms of preventing economic overheating? With all this new TARP money floating around, inflation is a worry. Add to that an influx in new consumer and corporate capital, and the economy can overheat. Kind of like it did at the tail end of Bush’s term. Too much cheap money creates bubbles that create wealth for a small segment of society.
Infrastructure was the right idea, but they’re going about it the wrong way. Sure we can go for the short term fix of trying to increase consumer demand, but over the long term we have GOT to get our economy off the back of our own ravenous appetite for sh!t we don’t need. Think long term people.
ernesto on February 4, 2009 at 11:44 AM
With Botox, there’s no other option.
JiangxiDad on February 4, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Zing!
lorien1973 on February 4, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Good lord . . . Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their gaggle of crooks, cheats, liars and dummies are about to lead us into the abyss.
rplat on February 4, 2009 at 11:41 AM
*
Correct. Let’s cut their compensation to ZERO for bankrupting social security, medicare, etc etc etc. P.S. Take Pelosi’s jet away. I’m sick of paying for it, given her failure.
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 11:46 AM
More popcorn please. It may be staged, but fun to watch nonetheless.
HawaiiLwyr on February 4, 2009 at 11:46 AM
If this is Obama’s agenda get rid of the present house and senate leadership he can sign me up.
Dr Evil on February 4, 2009 at 11:47 AM
If the one participates in pushing SanFranNan out, that will be the first American thing hes done. Theres got to be more to it..
Viper1 on February 4, 2009 at 11:47 AM
You guys forget. Obama’s move here is quite calculated to take advantage of the stink beginning to arise in the MSM over the “stimulus”. He meant to take down the Democrats from the beginning, though: look no further than his “Organization for America” (I think that’s what it’s called) that some are calling his “permanent campaign”.
Normally a President is constrained to varying degrees by the machinations of his own political party. But Obama will have none of that. By the time the dust settles on this one, he will have Mrs. Botox and the rest of Dem party leadership collectively sniveling in a corner.
Beware when that happens.
Wanderlust on February 4, 2009 at 11:47 AM
In a totally unrelated story:
Support for Stimulus Package Falls to 37%
Vashta.Nerada on February 4, 2009 at 11:47 AM
It’s not planted, it’s more that the Obama people who learned from what happened to Clinton in 1993-94 want to gradually move social policy to the left to avoid a large number of non-conservatives catching on an protesting, while Nancy thinks she can tell them what to do and it won’t threaten her majority (Like Pauline Kael, who didn’t know anyone who didn’t vote for Nixon, Nancy doesn’t know anyone in her circle or congressional district who isn’t for massive government spending).
Obama apparently knew he would have to avoid being seen as a president who could be rolled by House leaders, which is why he hired Rahm as COS, since he has a built-in constituency of Blue Dog Democrats he helped get elected. But he no doubt was hoping all this stuff would be done behind the scenes, so in public it would look like a big love-fest. If the left gets the idea that Obama is actually going to try and govern as Bill Clinton circa 1995-2000, that’s not what they signed up for, and you could start seeing some backlash against The One, even in the big media about politics as usual (but only because Obama’s not going far left enough to suit them).
jon1979 on February 4, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Obama & Pelosi are working hand in hand. It’s good cop, bad cop. She is the big meanie, Obama comes out looking bi-partisan. They both get what they really want while GOP chases it’s tail.
Don’t fall for it!
portlandon on February 4, 2009 at 11:49 AM
LMAO! Tru dat!
ProudPalinFan on February 4, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Who will sing PALAMINO first?
Kini on February 4, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Sure we will listen to the mayors—-Las Vegas, which by some accounts already glitters, wants $2 million for neon signs.
Boynton Beach, Fla., is looking for $4.5 million for an “eco park” featuring butterfly gardens and gopher tortoises.
And Chula Vista, Calif., would like $500,000 to create a place for dogs to run off the leash.
Gopher Tortoise
These are among 18,750 projects listed in “Ready to Go,” the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ wish list for funding from the stimulus bill moving through Congress. The group asked cities and towns to suggest “shovel ready” projects for the report, which it gave to Congress and the Obama administration.
canditaylor68 on February 4, 2009 at 11:54 AM
I don’t think it’s good cop/bad cop at all.
This Pelosi woman is so full of herself and arrogantly thinks she’s really got more power than she does. You KNOW she thinks she’s more powerful than the President. She finally has the party majority and she’s going to BS and buffalo and intimidate anyone who stands in her way of her getting exactly what she wants.
Her stupid, arrogant remarks and smirks have been going on since she’s had the capability to speak in front of the unwashed masses and she’s pretty much gotten away with all her crap. We can only hope that the President slaps her stupider than she already is (figuratively, of course) and removes her from her power roost.
ladyhawke53 on February 4, 2009 at 11:55 AM
There’s only room for one imperious personality around Obama, and it ain’t Nancy Lugosi.
RickZ on February 4, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Heh.
I keep trying to picture this lockjawed hag laughing, but unable to get her face to move. LMAO.
Jaibones on February 4, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Mark Wahlberg’s character used that joke in The Departed.
Michael in MI on February 4, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I really thought that the war was with Biden…have you watched His body language whenever Biden cracks a joke? He even grabs his arm!
If there are any vids out there, watch. As with Pelosi, who can I trust? Neither of them!
ProudPalinFan on February 4, 2009 at 11:59 AM
“At no point did any member of President Obama’s staff encourage me to vote against the House economic recovery bill. I told them I believed that the bill had too much long-term spending and didn’t meet the president’s goal of getting 75% of the money into the economy within 18 months. After the conversation, I felt encouraged that the administration understood those concerns and shared my longstanding commitment to fiscal responsibility.” Cooper.
Nevermind.
getalife on February 4, 2009 at 12:00 PM
ernesto on February 4, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Mommy, somebody has more toys than I do. Waah!
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Stimulus bill tanking? Blame it on Skanky Pelosi!
petefrt on February 4, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Heh, Drudge has a story about a woman getting a record breaking boob job.
I thought we already had two record boobs
Kini on February 4, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Who appointed you poobah of what is needed and what isn’t?
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Boobies in the headlines.
lorien1973 on February 4, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Don’t see what the surprise is, Her Majesty told him that SHE ran the House.
GarandFan on February 4, 2009 at 12:02 PM
The democrats have lost all respect for the office of the President and they believe they can get away with anything.
I think the people around Obama are very smart and calculating and are willing to throw anyone under the bus to make their man look good. They will surely use any opening to bring moderates of both parties under their wing and the press is a very willing accomplice.
Vince on February 4, 2009 at 12:03 PM
It is completely BS and pathetic that elected officials don’t already read the bills on which they vote. They don’t read military intelligence on which they’re briefed before voting for war efforts, they don’t read bills which tax the American people of $800 Billion before voting on them. Completely ridiculous.
That right there should simply outrage people. That our elected officials don’t even bother to read pieces of legislation before voting on them. WTF do these incompetent jackasses even *do* in Washington anyway? Take our money and sit in a room to say “YAY” or “NAY” every few days for bills the details of which they don’t even bother to inform themselves? Pathetic.
Michael in MI on February 4, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Ernesto sez: “Pelosi is far worse than Obama.”
In my estimation, they are just 2 tentacles on The Beast. I tend to agree with portlandon; the Demos are all smoke and mirrors with endless shell games. If Obama is a lot better than Nancy Legosi, why wouldn’t he address her insanity out in the open and in private with her?
The look on her face in that Time article is the same one she had sitting next to Dubya. It seems that her meds don’t work and her Little Hitler pout is showing. Iddy boo…
I won’t let myself hope that she will be pushed out, even if she lost the next election. She’s nuts and addicted to power, a bad combo.
Christine on February 4, 2009 at 12:03 PM
In another month, he’ll be grabbing his nuts.
petefrt on February 4, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Lets see, Nancy Pelosi has BO’s nuts in a jar on her desk? That, combined with the failure to vet nominees and the actions of Putin, NoKo, Imadinnerjacket and Chavez, all of whom read this guy as a WUSS–makes for a rather bleak picture, doesn’t it? Enjoy your Change!
james23 on February 4, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Agree, its all planned and staged propaganda
dogsoldier on February 4, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Just a matter of self preservation. Seeing the disapproving hand writing on the wall, PBO must now distance himself. Anyone who doesn’t understand that this load of BS is nothing more than political payback for his election must have their head in the sand.
PBO tried to get everything at once, but that’s not going to fly. But, he will now lie low and this stuff will trickle in through other bills. It’s the same thing they are going to do with amnesty. America choked on the crap sandwich, so now he will have to feed it to us one little bite at a time.
Jvette on February 4, 2009 at 12:07 PM
On the other hand, this could be Obama’s way of voting present: encouraging people to vote against a bill he doesn’t like so that he won’t have to veto it.
Kafir on February 4, 2009 at 12:08 PM
I think all of you are misreading this.
What’s 0bama good at? Throwing people under the bus when things get bad politically for him.
He never once stated publicly that this stimulus bill need re-work. As a matter of fact, he had 5 interviews this week to push it. He had his radio address and talked about how we must pass it.
Now when the poll numbers fall on it, he’s been against it all along?
Come on, don’t be a sucker.
p0s3r on February 4, 2009 at 12:09 PM
He better be careful with Nancy; she’ll hurt him. He’s better off on the cover of Vanity Fair than messing with her.
tgillian on February 4, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Plus, he’s approval ratings are 2x that of Pelosi’s, why would he bend to her will on this? If he wanted a clean, bipartisan bill from the start, he could’ve publicly demanded one.
p0s3r on February 4, 2009 at 12:10 PM
He did.
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Smokescreen, he just wants to look like he disapproves of her tactics. My money says that they both want what is in the bill…..welfare.
jukin on February 4, 2009 at 12:12 PM
I first heard the joke while in college. Back in the 70′s.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 12:13 PM
gee, it’s kind of like Stalin and Lenin having a little spat, isn’t it?
notagool on February 4, 2009 at 12:13 PM
“I won, I’ll trump you on that.” ???
jukin on February 4, 2009 at 12:13 PM
“Joe The Plumber Summoned To Capitol To Advise GOP On Stimulus “.
So, Giethner, Daschle and Killifer are going to be there with the mayors who gave away the farm?
Johan Klaus on February 4, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Johan Klaus on February 4, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Exactly. Let Pelosi throw the red meat out there for the special interests, filthy bastard makes the Congress back down on the most radical and offensive of the measures so that the left can proclaim a corrupt racist socialist as “centrist.”
highhopes on February 4, 2009 at 12:17 PM
I think it’s “Kept in the dark, fed only horse sh-t”
http://www.aircommando.com/ss7.jpg
toliver on February 4, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Lorien1973 and others,
Xactly!
Still, I enjoyed Pelosi being made out to be the ‘Bad Guys’. The sooner this harpy leaves the prominent place to where she belongs (a minor house representative), the better.
Sir Napsalot on February 4, 2009 at 12:21 PM
You get the impression that Pelosi really thinks she is the President?
drjohn on February 4, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Demanded? If the filthy bastard wanted a clean bipartisan bill, he could have written one and submitted it to the botox belle for consideration. He could have assembled experts outside of government and hammered out a realistic pork-free economic recovery plan. He could have spelled out over-arching strategies for economic recovery he wanted the Congress to act on with specific actions to fulfill those goals. It’s something called leadership- don’t expect to see much of it during the next four years which I intend to call the era of bad stewardship.
highhopes on February 4, 2009 at 12:23 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
And you’re not even bright enough to see the irony.
Chuck Schick on February 4, 2009 at 12:24 PM
A Speaker of the House with a strong majority from his/her/its own party is far more powerful than a President. Tip O’Neil ran this nation for far longer than any single President.
highhopes on February 4, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Pelosi will back off when this bill gets returned to the house because Obama will tell her she can put in her pork-welfare-socialist “programs” in the next go-around. I’m tellin’ you folks, this is just an installment.
Rovin on February 4, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Who has bigger balls…Pelosi or Barry?
I’m bettin’ Pelosi has larger testicles…big, hairy ones.
Wyznowski on February 4, 2009 at 12:39 PM
I’m ready for my close up Mr. Demille!
hawkdriver on February 4, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Just wait until the second most powerful female (Hillary) steamrolls him on foreign policy. Remember, she has a Testicle Lock Box!
Brat on February 4, 2009 at 12:44 PM
This is purely about the Dems trying to engineer a win for Obama on a gigantic issue within his first 100 days.
Christien on February 4, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Cat Fight!
Ann on February 4, 2009 at 12:55 PM
I’d pay $65 to see this as long as they were armed with claw hammers.
Alden Pyle on February 4, 2009 at 1:05 PM
I’m not buying this either. The Utah blue dog (Matheson), who typically acts fairly conservative on this crap, voted for it. If Obama was telling blue dogs to go ahead and oppose it I’m quite sure Matheson would’ve done so.
IMO, there was hardly a peep from the “blue dogs” and too many voted for it to have me believe this. Methinks the blue dogs have been neutered and said parts can be found in Pelosi’s special lock box.
batter on February 4, 2009 at 1:14 PM
It’s clapp against AIDS. I hope clapp wins.
saiga on February 4, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Don’t forget what happens when they go to conference to align the House and Senate passed versions of the bill. It’ll be a “pork-xtravaganza”! I wouldn’t be surprised if pork now taken out is added back in at that time.
batter on February 4, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Triangulation.
Connie on February 4, 2009 at 1:23 PM
San Fran Nan is the last one you want to be going to the mattresses with…
phreshone on February 4, 2009 at 1:24 PM
It’s Dunderdome!!!
Two boobs enter, one boob leaves.
hawkdriver on February 4, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Oh God, there went my 10 dollar Korean buffet.
hawkdriver on February 4, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Barry better call Cesar Millan before he gets bitten…
too late…
phreshone on February 4, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Roll is a boring person. Why would anyone talk reality when conspiracy theories are such more fun?
thuja on February 4, 2009 at 1:36 PM
Good cop/bad cop? If so, why does obama keep saying it’s “his bill”? Man, these people are shifty.
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 1:37 PM
You’ve not been paying attention to Obi the One. Have you not seen how Michelle pushes him around? Hillary got major concessions out of him for her fiefdom as Madame Sec of State. Barry does what he’s told by the women in his life, regardless of anyone’s approval ratings.
Ace ODale on February 4, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Where did you learn economics? From a fortune cookie?
Wages won’t remain stagnant while upper level income skyrockets; they will go up, too.
Nor were the tax cuts “for the wealthy,” unless by “wealthy” you mean the prospering, upwardly mobile middle class.
I have no idea what you mean by “income inequality.” Do you?
Are you from Cuba?
They would do considerable good.
A lot of these companies laying people off and closing stores would stop doing so if one of the primary costs of doing business–corporate taxes, which are some of the highest in the world–were reduced.
So why give them more “cheap money” (paid for by we, the people) with another stimulus?
No, it’s not.
“Infrastructure” is the purview of the states and the cities, not the federal government.
Re-sodding the National Mall and $200 million in condoms (our reproductive organs are “infrastructure?”) isn’t going to get the nation back on track.
Which is it? Do you want the economy to work or not?
Do you realize that our economy is based on consumer demand and our “ravenous appetite for sh!t we don’t need?”
And who’s to say what’s “sh!t we don’t need?” You?
Long-term, I’d say you’re from a Communist/Socialist country, people or you certainly wish you were.
Jenfidel on February 4, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Barry and Michelle: who wears the pants? We all know who.
Barry, Nancy, and Harry: who wears the pants? We all know who.
Gospel Moody on February 4, 2009 at 2:33 PM
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