On Thursday, during a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, an unidentified member of Congress muttered "f-- the president" during a discussion of the tax cut deal that's left so many progressives frustrated. The profanity has been widely reported (as tends to happen when politicians say naughty words). Some onlookers are calling it a further sign that Obama has alienated his own party with his willingness to compromise, while others are having fun trying to guess who the offender is.
- Not Really a Big Deal Shelley Berkley, a Democratic representative from Nevada, told reporters that the remark "wasn't loud" and that "it was just expressing frustration from a very frustrated member."
- Everyone's Kind of Thinking It, smirks Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin's blog. "A mere year or two ago, this kind of thing would have been blasphemy of the highest order, punishable by several lashes with the MSM's 'racist' tag and a prime time 'Worst Person in the World' badge of honor from Olbermann--and that's just for Tea Party types."
- Will the Times Be Outraged? Not likely, thinks blogger Ace at Ace of Spades. "That's a big step up from 'You lie!' or a little Joker war-paint. Will the New York Times Editorial Board castigate Democrats for allowing partisan fury to overcome reason, or for creating a dark mood that increases the chance of political violence? Answer: No."
- The Other Stuff Said at the Meeting Wasn't Pretty Either Hot Air's Allahpundit quotes Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who said at the same meeting that Democrats "can't trust" Obama not to capitulate to Republicans again in two years. "Kindly flag that last paragraph for use later on," writes Allahpundit, "because we all know that once Campaign 2012 starts rolling and the left decides that the GOP nominee is The New Hitler, they'll clamor to insist that Obama really, truly, absolutely can be trusted to fight for tax hikes on the rich come 2013."
- Who Said It? WHO SAID IT??? Joy-Ann Reid at The Reid Report guesses it might have been Pete Defazio, "leader of the House revolt against the president," or Anthony Weiner, who's "made by far the most angry appearances on television attacking the president as a weak, ineffectual capitulator. Plus he's from New York. They tell people to f- off a lot up there." Doug Powers's "money is on Pelosi."
- Democratic Infighting? Maybe Not What the Left Needs Right Now "Here's where we stand," writes Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog:
Obama thought he negotiated a tough bargain with Republicans. Congressional Democrats now think they're revolting against what they think was a lousy bargain with Republicans. They both think they're taking on the plutocratic extremism of the GOP, but really all they're doing is getting tough with ... each other. Neither side has the firepower to actually put any hurt on the GOP. So each side kicks the dog, except what we really have is two dogs kicking each other. The master--the GOP--isn't getting kicked. The master is just laughing at how pathetic it all is.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.