Sweet: House Dems given permission to attack Pelosi in ads?

No hard evidence here, just Politico reading the tea leaves, but it’s likelier true than false. The One’s been telling congressional Democrats for weeks that he’ll do whatever they want him to do to improve their chances in the fall, including staying away from their districts. If Blue Dogs making the odd joke about Pelosi falling down the stairs helps preserve a Democratic majority, hey.

Facing a perilous political environment that has left the House Democratic majority in jeopardy, Van Hollen told reporters in a briefing at the National Press Club that the party faces a series of difficult decisions about which candidates to invest in this fall — and whom to leave behind.

“At the end of the day, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will look at races we can win,” Van Hollen said…

He also indicated that Democratic leaders had given vulnerable members permission to distance — and in some cases outright criticize — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in campaign ads, as Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly, Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire and North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre all have done.

“I think the Democratic leaders have said the job of the members is to reflect the views of their constituents as best as they are able,” he said.

Remember, the only reason the final vote on ObamaCare was as close as it was is because Pelosi freed vulnerable Dems to vote against it in order to preserve their political viability. The whole free-thinkin’ conservative Democrat image is a complete fraud, but it’s an extremely useful one in the sort of purple districts that they need to make their majority. No surprise, then, that she’s greenlit attacks painting her as some sort of demon for the greater good. Speaking of which, Newsweek’s got a new poll of Obama’s approval rating out tonight that’s healthy enough to lead them to predict relatively minor losses for the Democrats in the fall. I’m skeptical, partly because the bit excerpted above suggests they’re already thinking of Dick Morris’s Democratic doomsday dilemma and partly because other polls show The One’s approval rating in swing states to be so horrible that it’s almost guaranteed to sink the Democrats’ candidates there. But hey — that one dollar that was spent to buy the magazine must have bought something.

For your viewing pleasure, here’s Sharron Angle’s new ad goofing on the bizarre love triangle between America’s three most toxic Democrats. Not-so-fun fact: Two out of three Angle supporters in Nevada wish someone else was the nominee?

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