To the extent that he has increased his interaction with lawmakers this year — and he has done that with a series of dinners — it largely has been with Republican members of the Senate. As one veteran House aide who now works on K Street put it, every time Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) talks publicly about his latest conversation with McDonough, Obama further alienates House Democrats who wonder why they’re getting calls only from mid-level aides — or why they’re getting no calls at all.

Match that up against the phone calls and personal interactions lawmakers are having with their own constituents, and it’s easy to see why many in Congress think that Obama miscalculated by coming to them for approval.

One Democratic lawmaker who fielded calls from constituents this week said he got a call from his mother. It was the first time she had called him on a policy issue even though he’s been in Congress for more than a decade.

“As a constituent,” his mother said, “vote no.”