Video: Senate Dems don’t trust Obama on budget
posted at 12:55 pm on March 9, 2011 by Ed Morrissey
Why hasn’t the White House coordinated a budget position with Senate Democrats, their allies on Capitol Hill, rather than set themselves up as arbiters between the House and Senate? As Major Garrett explains to Chuck Todd on MSNBC this morning, Senate Democrats are asking the same question. Democrats in the Senate have begun lashing out at the White House for its lack of leadership; Joe Manchin blasted Barack Obama in a floor speech yesterday for failing to lead on budget reductions. Garrett calls this the “canary in the coal mine” and tells Todd that the mistrust between both has broken out into the open:
MAJOR GARRETT: This will sound glib, but Joe Manchin from West Virginia was the canary in the coal mine. Last week, Senate Democrats at their luncheon caucus meeting said among themselves the White House is absent. We’re not getting any air cover on this debate. We don’t know what the White House bottom line is. The trajectory is moving in the House Republican’s direction because originally Senate Democrats said no cuts, then they said $4 billion, now they’re up to $10 billion. What is the trajectory?
CHUCK TODD: But the White House will argue the Senate Democrats come up with just one plan. House Republicans have come up with two. Come up with one plan. They want the Senate Democrats to own the plan.
MAJOR GARRETT: Yes, but the Senate Democrats have a lingering fear that whatever they come up with, the White House will say, okay, you’re there and the House Republicans are here, and we’re going to get right down the middle. We’ll be the cavalry on our terms. So what this is partially about is a lack of trust in a sense of whose side the White House is on.
Air cover? Cavalry? Such violent rhetoric in use among journalists and politicos! What happened to the New Tone?
There’s a better analogy. Senate Democrats see themselves as Charlie Brown, and Obama as Lucy teeing up the football. Obama talks about Democrats meeting Republicans halfway, encouraging Senate Dems to try to kick the ball and challenge the GOP to a showdown — only they think Obama will pull the ball at the last minute to make himself look moderate at their expense. Given that Democrats in the Senate already have a tough 2012 election cycle on the horizon, the last thing many of them need is a vote that challengers can use to paint them as more radical than Barack Obama on spending.
I think they’re giving Obama too much credit. If that’s really his plan, why not do it already? Is he waiting for the FY2012 budget to pull the ball away from Senate Democrats? This looks much more like Obama voting “present” on budget plans by sending Joe Biden for a one-off, face-saving appearance. Obama did much the same with ObamaCare and on Porkulus, forcing Democrats in Congress to do all of the heavy lifting while he gave 30,000-foot level speeches on the subject. In the end, they paid the price, not Obama. He’s less a Lucy than a Linus looking for a security blanket.
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The harlot
Schadenfreude on May 23, 2013 at 2:44 PM
The former statement is stupid and ignorant, but technically he ain’t wrong about the latter. Of course there are far better ways to articulate the tragedy of how many black babies are aborted, but at least he’s not afraid to broach the subject.
Doughboy on May 23, 2013 at 2:45 PM
So? Planned Parenthood HAS killed more African Americans than the KKK. A black man saying so might be just the ticket to make some black voters go, “WTF?”
Curmudgeon on May 23, 2013 at 2:46 PM
Well terry, you have to get this pass bho and the epa! Somehow I don’t think your plan will get pass those slugs?
L
letget on May 23, 2013 at 2:47 PM
Harry Reid needs to demand McAuliffe and both Senators immediately release their tax returns for the last ten years, to prove they’re not getting kickbacks from Big Oil.
I say keep VA locked up until they elect Conservatives to the Senate and not elect McAuliffe.
Liam on May 23, 2013 at 2:49 PM
McAulliffe is a congenital liar, just like his mentors.
matthew8787 on May 23, 2013 at 2:49 PM
Virginia doesn’t run as a unified gubernatorial ticket though, right? It’s still possible for Cuccinelli to distance himself from Jackson if he really is that crazy. Lt. Governor matters for the state Senate, but isn’t really a huge election draw. Hopefully Jackson can go six months without offering up new stuff for the left to seize on, and Cuccinelli can ride this out, because actually losing to somebody like McAuliffe is beyond stupid.
Gingotts on May 23, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Terry Uberdouche is what he is!
22044 on May 23, 2013 at 2:51 PM
Are the people of VA that stupid to elect a Clinton bag man as their governor?
Bevan on May 23, 2013 at 2:55 PM
So in Virginia, the governor and lt. governor run as a ticket? Here in Texas, they’re on the ballot separately, so we could have the two offices occupied by people from different parties (and it’s happened before).
Ward Cleaver on May 23, 2013 at 2:56 PM
This is just another blowhard lib, just when I forgot all about him, he resurfaces. A despicable sewer rat!
rjoco1 on May 23, 2013 at 2:57 PM
Similar to how the Constitution was originally written. The man with the most electoral votes became president, the next highest holder became VP. A further check-and-balance for limited government.
Liam on May 23, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Can you spell STEAL.The dems have their marching orders in hand now.
docflash on May 23, 2013 at 3:01 PM
We shall see if the people of Virginia are that stupid.
Nope
cozmo on May 23, 2013 at 3:02 PM
No, they are separate. However, the Virginia Senate is currently tied 20-20 with the LG having the tie breaking vote.
There is a special election to fill a vacating R senator’s seat in August (my senator, as it turns out). If the D’s flip that seat, then the LG race is mostly moot, although if the D’s win, they’d have at least person well positioned for a run at gov in 2017. (The problem they have this year is that we had a Republican sweep in 2009, so they didn’t have anyone in a statewide office to run.)
I expect to see large amounts of cash from outside our senate district come flooding in this summer.
CJ on May 23, 2013 at 3:04 PM
Unfortunately Virginia is going more stupid each year, thanks to a large infux of libtards in NVA – DC metro influence.
The real insanity would be if McAuliffe won. Without a strong ticket that may be possible.
The duo Ds (Warner/Kaine) in the senate are only doing it for election time. Most notably they have been in lock step with Obama and democrats on almost all issues.
Outside of Cuccinelli there is not a lot of depth in the conservative/republican side in Virginia. Hasn’t been for awhile.
TerryW on May 23, 2013 at 3:06 PM
Planned Parenthood has killed more blacks than the KKK. And check the statistics on pedophilia among homosexuals vs. heterosexuals and then get back to me on that statement.
Shump on May 23, 2013 at 3:12 PM
Stupidity deserves punishment — harsh, frequent, and repeat-as-required.
If liberals had the sense of a dog, such wouldn’t be necessary and the country wouldn’t be the mess it is.
Liam on May 23, 2013 at 3:13 PM
Related, male-on-male sexual assaults (not harassment but actual assault) in the military have increased dramatically since gays were allowed to serve openly.
Liam on May 23, 2013 at 3:14 PM
He’s a Democrat. He’s lying. But then if his lips are moving that’s redundant.
Oldnuke on May 23, 2013 at 3:16 PM
How are our ruling elite supposed to get their gosnell fabric lamps and shoes as well as the bone pens if you close down planned parenthood?
acyl72 on May 23, 2013 at 3:16 PM
They don’t run as a ticket here, though. When Tim Kaine won the governor’s mansion in ’05, the GOP won both the Lt governor and Attorney General races. You could easily have the same thing happen here, where Jackson loses but the other two win.
I do wonder what those convention-goers were thinking, though, in going for Jackson. Maybe it was his speech, I don’t know, but fiery red meat rhetoric doesn’t always mean the person serving it up is the best candidate. I shudder at the though of having Terry McAuliffe win, in part because Sean Trende turns out to be right and Jackson drags Cuccinelli down with him.
changer1701 on May 23, 2013 at 3:29 PM
Real voter suppression in 2012
Schadenfreude on May 23, 2013 at 3:29 PM
If elected, I’m sure he’ll re-evolve back to the default left position of no jobs no wars and no way we want oil.
If VA is stupid enough to elect this worthless clown, the devolution will take about 10 minutes.
NoDonkey on May 23, 2013 at 3:35 PM
Apparently his speech was influential, and also there were very few left in attendance by the time they finally got the hell around to some votes.
Also, Pete Snyder, his biggest threat toward the end had some missteps about leaking endorsements that weren’t to be. Cuccinelli and the AG nominee stayed out. Corey Stewart – who was a massive troll to everybody throughout the entire race – was erroneously reported to be endorsing Snyder, which apparently got him pissy enough to walk out hand in hand with Jackson.
Gingotts on May 23, 2013 at 3:37 PM
Good. Let’s see what happens when the world’s greasiest slime ball goes after a charismatic black preacher. Jackson is going to help Cuccinelli, not hurt. Also, Trende has his head so far up the establishments a** he can’t see straight. Cuccinelli and Jackson both win in a walk.
AmeriCuda on May 23, 2013 at 3:45 PM
He’d sell his mother if it got him what he wanted.
The GOP here sure has a screwed up roster. Cuch has a ton of baggage, but so does Terry.
A couple of previous posters nailed it. The Old Dominion is now hostage to those nitwits up in NoVa. A candidate just cant carry the military vote and the southern/western Va vote anymore and the NoVa and UVA/Charlottesville vote is sizeable.
Honestly, we could lose this one.
BacaDog on May 23, 2013 at 3:52 PM
So truth is now “controversial”?
ButterflyDragon on May 23, 2013 at 4:03 PM
This is possibly the absolute best example of a lie forwarded by a candidate to get elected. It is utterly transparent, and yet it is the fattest, wriggliest bait worm a low-info clownfish voter might ever see. Once in office, McAwful can simply shift blame for non-fulfillment to DC … and look like a martyr to boot.
M240H on May 23, 2013 at 4:14 PM
As soon as Jackson was nominated the dems went on the attack about gay rights. This election will turn on the gay issues. Get used to it. Anyone remember Todd Akin? We are losing because of social issues. I could care less about who you go to bed with.
alanstern on May 23, 2013 at 4:19 PM
If you don’t want to listen to liars, turn them off! The MSM supports these liars so turn off the MSM too. God willing they to will drift off to obscurity.
savage24 on May 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
ToddPA on May 23, 2013 at 5:05 PM
These people are shameless. They might as well just be honest and say, “What to I have to say today to win?” “Who do I have to bum-nuzzle today?” “Are we at war with Eurasia or EastAsia?”
When pinned down, pull a Holder and just keep saying “I don’t know.”
tpitman on May 23, 2013 at 5:41 PM
This is indeed a grave concern. How can politicians even hope to be elected if they start saying things that are actually true….
There Goes the Neighborhood on May 23, 2013 at 6:26 PM
There’s nothing inherently stupid or ignorant about “comparing gays to pedophiles.” It depends entirely on what exactly the comparison is. If I had to guess, it was probably in the context of same-sex marriage. I’ve seen any number of people accuse someone of “comparing gays to pedophiles” because they argued that the age of consent could be labeled just as arbitrary as not allowing men to marry men.
There Goes the Neighborhood on May 23, 2013 at 6:37 PM