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Senate Democrats Demand Obama Administration Forgive Corinthian Students #39; Debts
Senate Democrats Demand Obama Administration Forgive Corinthian Students #39; Debts.
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Senate Democrats Demand Obama Administration Forgive Corinthian Students' Debts - Video
Matthews: This is a revolution in the Democratic party / Democrats
Matthews: This is a revolution in the Democratic party Chris Matthews tells viewers to remember the date. It may be the birthday for a Democratic party that #39;s regained its reason to be,...
By: MSNBC News
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Matthews: This is a revolution in the Democratic party / Democrats - Video
For much of the last six years, liberal Democrats in Congress have been loyal foot soldiers for their often unpopular president. Now, a rare clash between President Obama and members of his own party suggests Democrats on the left may be marching in a new direction.
Democratic feuding over a $1.1-trillion government funding measure that passed the House on Thursday threw into the open a growing fracture between the president and congressional Democrats, a split that is likely to play a crucial role in the president's final two years in office.
Blaming Obama for the midterm losses and long resenting his reluctance to court his own natural political constituency, Democrats in the House and Senate blasted the spending bill as a giveaway to Wall Street and big-moneyed interests. The White House said it was the best deal available.
The ultimately unsuccessful revolt that followed, which pitted the president against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), signaled Democrats' new openness to a more hard-line approach and perhaps a new torchbearer.
"I just want our Democrats to feel strong enough to fight not to cave in, not to be influenced or intimidated," said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), expressing liberals' frustration after an evening of tense meetings Thursday. Democrats will be "putting up a strong fight and getting ready for next year."
At the heart of this dispute and the likely clashes coming in the New Year are the conflicting motivations of a legacy-minded president and comeback-focused Democrats.
While Democrats are searching for ways to flex their muscle after an electoral drubbing in November, the president is looking for ways to tally up some legislative accomplishments before he leaves office. That goal will inevitably mean working with the new Republican majority in the Senate.
The president summed up his approach Friday when he acknowledged there were parts of the massive spending measure he "really [did] not like," but said it was the best deal on the table.
"Overall, this legislation allows us to build on the economic progress and the national security progress that's important," Obama told reporters. "Had I been able to draft my own legislation and get it passed without any Republican votes, I suspect that it would be slightly different. That's not the circumstance we find ourselves in."
The measure moved Friday to the Senate, which is expected to pass the bill in the coming days.
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President Obama, Democrats face rift exposed by spending bill debate
Washington Liberal Democrats are seething about the big budget deal passed by the House late Thursday with bipartisan support and President Obamas blessing. Both the content of the bill and the process by which it was crafted are unacceptable, they say.
But thats the reality of governing when you dont hold all the cards, Mr. Obama says. You get something, and you give something.
"This, by definition, was a compromise bill, Obama told reporters Friday.
Later, he added: I think what the American people very much are looking for is some practical governance and the willingness to compromise, and that's what this really reflects.
Translation: The American people dont want another government shutdown.
So is this the Obama version of triangulation, the political technique employed by the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, after his party lost control of Congress in 1994? Simply told, triangulation involves bucking ones own party and moving to the center in the hopes of peeling off moderates from the opposing party to pass legislation. Welfare reform was President Clintons best example.
Earlier this week, in the $1.1 trillion budget deal crafted by House Republicans and Senate Democrats, two provisions in particular infuriated liberal Democrats: a loosening of regulations on financial institutions and a big increase in limits on contributions to political parties.
As House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D) of California was voicing her strong opposition to the bill on the House floor Thursday, the White House issued a statement in support of the legislation. It was a rare moment of disunity between the president and a key ally on Capitol Hill.
Behind the scenes, Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other White House officials lobbied House Democrats to support the bill. But the Pelosi-Obama rift wasnt total. Representative Pelosi didnt whip against the bill i.e., she didnt twist arms to get members of her caucus to vote against it. A majority of Democrats voted against the bill, but enough went along to allow its passage.
That, Pelosi said Friday in a letter to Democrats, strengthened the party come January, when the next Congress is seated.
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Obama bucks fellow Democrats: A sign of things to come? (+video)
Nevada DREAMer Astrid Silva Testifies On Immigration Reform
Astrid Silva testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the need to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Read more: http://www.reid.senate.gov/press_releases/2014-10-12-reid-meets-with-.
By: Nevada Senator Harry Reid
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Nevada DREAMer Astrid Silva Testifies On Immigration Reform - Video