Several Democratic sources in the room described a testy scenario that started with Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (N.J.) criticizing Gibbs for saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" that there is "no doubt there's enough seats in play" to allow for a House GOP takeover in 2012. Things heated up as Pelosi jumped in and blasted Gibbs for making "politically inept" comments, according to one source.
"It was bad," another source said. "She was like: 'I don't appreciate it. I don't know who this guy is. I've never met him before. And he's saying that we're going to lose the House.'"
Gibbs, in case you were wondering who he was before taking the podium in the White House press room, has been working in Democratic communications for some time: he was press secretary of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2002 election cycle after working for Sen. Max Cleland. He's worked for Obama since his 2004 Senate bid.
House Democrats, needless to say, do not appear to be happy with Gibbs, and perhaps rightly so: while the Senate confronts slim majorities and the White House grapples with that reality, House Democrats are the one arm of the party that has smoothly accomplished big-ticket items like cap-and-trade, financial reform, and health care ahead of everyone else, with some members taking tough votes to realize Obama's agenda.
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