President Obama and his negotiators cut this tax deal, and it might be up to them to sell it to their fellow partisans in Congress.
Since Monday night, it's become clear that congressional Democrats aren't exactly itching to pass this deal, and neither the House nor the Senate has seen Democratic leaders jump at the opportunity to press their caucuses to accept the president's plan.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the high-end tax extension on Twitter; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stressed that the deal is "not done yet"; the lead House Democratic negotiator, incoming Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen, made it clear that the Democratic caucus has not signed off; and the incoming co-chairs of the House Progressive Caucus released a statement criticizing it.
House Democrats will meet tonight to discuss the deal, but Democratic leaders will not attempt to sell it to their members.
"We will hear from our caucus," said a spokesman for Pelosi.
That's the typical process for House Democrats--leaders don't urge the caucus to vote for a bill before members have had a chance to discuss it--but there are no signs as of yet that Pelosi, or any member of her leadership team, is eager to carry the administration's water on this compromise. Pelosi has successfully pushed numerous administration initiatives through the House over the past two years, rallying Democratic votes in favor of health care reform, cap and trade, and financial reform.