Why Is The White House/Obama Negotiating W/Boehner? Isn't That Pelosi's Job?

[KittyWampus]

Rookie political question. But I just was wondering.

Back in grade school I thought it was the House comes up with something, it goes to the Senate and THEN it goes to the POTUS.

Edit- it almost seems like a way of elevating Boehner above his actual station.

[pnwmom]

1. Obama is the leader of the Democratic party.

No one actually leads the Rethugs, but someone has to meet with Obama.

[KittyWampus]

3. But I thought the ways laws/bills were supposed to work is the House comes up with something

and passes it. The Senate comes up with something and passes it. The two meet and come up with a final version and then send it to the POTUS for signing.

[pnwmom]

14. But if one of the Houses of Government is the same party as the President

then that party works closely with the President on legislation. With Obama having just been reelected and being much more popular than the average House member, they have more chance of passing something that he's closely associated with.

[madinmaryland]

2. Boehner controls the House. Pelosi really does not have much say in the House, unless Boner

needs some votes to pass something.

So he's got to negotiate with the WH and Senate in order to pass something.

[Panasonic]

7. What Pelosi should be doing, at this point, is finding at least 18 dissatisfied Rethugs who's ready

to bolt out of the Republican Party and into being an independent, caucusing with the Democratic Party, which would require a change of guards.

[madinmaryland]

10. No way that will happen. They are to wing-nuttish to even want to join with Nancy Pelosi.

She might thourgh be able to peel off enough repukes to actually pass this bill. If so, it is being done on the QT.

[patrice]

4. Personally, I think Pelosi disqualified herself when she lead that not so little drama in the House

in 2010 and drove home the wedge between the Bush Tax Cuts for the Middle Class and the Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich.

I don't trust her anymore.

[aandegoons]

5. Disaster management politics.

Create disaster... do an end around of the system .... no one gets a chance to think.... Newspeak .... get what you want.

[KittyWampus]

6. But they ARE doing an end run around the system, aren't they?

[aandegoons]

8. Yes they are.

We should be privy to what is going on. Obama promised us that the first time he ran.

[Enrique]

9. the Obama/Boehner deal would not be official

they aren't negotiating in their official Constitutional capacities.

If they come up with a deal, it means nothing. For it to become law, Congress has to pass it.

[SoCalDem]

11. Actually, Boner should be "negotiating" with a house committee.... to respond to the inevitable

sunsetting of a 10-yr law that was extended once, and which the president has vowed to allow to finally sunset..

I wish that once the announcement to sunset it (finally)..there would have been NO further intervention until the new congress was seated.

The president's leverage is being dribbled away

It reminds me of a kid who is required to read a book and do a report.. They know they have to read the book, but they do not even pick it up until the day before the report is due, and then they waste all their time "negotiating" with Mom & Dad over the length of the report they will write, or whether they can get Mom & Dad to ask for extra time from the teacher, or maybe a chance to skip school on the day it's due..

[bemildred]

12. Pelosi is minority leader, speaks only for Dem caucus, and Obama has the power.

Obama has the Presidential filibuster (also known as the veto power), nothing happens without his say so.

[MiniMe]

13. Seems like Harry Reid should be in the discussion somewhere

Boner needs a civics class, the Senate has to pass whatever crappy bill the house passes or it won't get to the President.