Despite talk of cooperation, Democrats busy sharpening their political knives

“Republicans will either compromise with House Democrats on gun violence prevention and immigration reform or risk alienating suburban voters and the rapidly growing Hispanic voters before the 2014 elections,” a veteran Democratic operative said Friday.

Of course publicly, Democratic leaders insist they want to work with Republicans and believe they’re in a position to do so now, although they complain that Republicans don’t seem to have come to the same conclusion yet.

“I read [Majority Leader] Eric Cantor’s speech. I think we need something more than a gloss of being friendly,” Rep. Sander Levin said Thursday, adding that Republicans are “playing with fire” if they don’t, he warned.

And despite the calls for cooperation, Democrats are clearly steering themselves into a direct conflict with Republicans. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel has dubbed the Boehner-led Congress the “Congress of Chronic Chaos” and showed a video at the retreat titled “Tea Party Congress II: The Sequel” that sums up how he and leadership are approaching the 113th Congress.