Congress Goes Belly Up

Jonathan Weisman and Paul Kane write in The Washington Post: "Officially, House Democrats blame Senate Republicans, who have used parliamentary tactics to block even uncontroversial measures. But they are increasingly expressing public frustration with Reid and Senate Democrats for not putting up a better fight.

"House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) called it a 'hold and fold' strategy: Senate Republicans put a 'hold' on Democratic bills, and Senate Democratic leaders promptly fold their tents. . . .

"House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) accuses Senate Democratic leaders of developing 'Stockholm syndrome,' showing sympathy to their Republican captors by caving in on legislation to provide middle-class tax cuts paid for with tax increases on the super-rich, tying war funding to troop withdrawal timelines, and mandating renewable energy quotas. If Republicans want to filibuster a bill, Rangel said, Reid should keep the bill on the Senate floor and force the Republicans to talk it to death."

The White House is clearly enjoying the squabbling among Democrats, and is delightedly using it as an excuse for refusing to negotiate the budget.

From yesterday's briefing with White House Press Secretary Dana Perino:

Q: "Well, since there's not much time, is the President willing to get involved in the negotiations himself, I mean, bring the Democratic leaders down here and try to --"

Perino: "Well, I think anyone would understand that the President's position is reasonable, and that he has tasked his Cabinet officer, OMB Director Jim Nussle, to go up and negotiate with the Democrats and the Republicans in order to bring this to closure. But it is very difficult to negotiate when you're dealing with several different positions on the Democratic side. So once they coalesce around one position, it will be easier for us to have -- to sit down and have negotiations. . . ."

Q: "But you can't have a negotiation until you're willing to talk."

Perino: "We are willing to talk. We have an open dialogue. And we have Director Nussle, who is speaking for the President, acting on behalf of the President, working with them. But who do you talk to? Do you decide to talk to Congressman Obey, or Speaker Pelosi, or Congressman Hoyer, or Senator Reid? Once all of them come together on one position, then we can have a negotiation. . . . "

Q: "It would seem that Presidents throughout the ages have taken a leadership role by meeting with leaders of the opposition party and sort of sitting down together and hammering out a deal and then expecting those leaders to go back to their people and say, look, this is what I negotiated with the President. And that is sort of part of presidential leadership. So I'm wondering why, at this crunch time, as you described it, the President isn't willing to do that."

Perino: "Sheryl, who would he meet with? Should he have four different meetings, or should he -- is it --"

Q: "I would say that that would be up to him, but --"