Senate Democrats have "volcanic" lunch with Obama aide

[Enrique]

http://www.rollcall.com/news/senate_democrats_volcanic_over_deal_rumors-207575-1.html

Congressional Democrats are set to meet with President Barack Obama on Thursday evening at the White House, and if it’s anything like the “volcanic” intraparty sessions that took place earlier in the day, it could be quite the contentious affair.

Senate Democrats were huddled for lunch with Jacob Lew, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, when news broke of a possible deal between Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The reports of the “grand bargain” — potentially worth $3 trillion in savings over 10 years with no upfront revenue raisers — started filtering into the Mansfield Room, just yards from the Senate chamber, and Senators began getting agitated, worried that Obama was poised to agree to sweeping entitlement cuts with only the “promise” of a deal on future tax code reform.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will meet with Obama and his top brass at 5:30 p.m. Although Obama likely will have to quickly sell them on any deal that’s being discussed, the president also will have to listen to the top Congressional Democrats relay the serious concerns of their rank and file.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), a 24-year veteran of the chamber, called Thursday’s biweekly party luncheon “volcanic,” and others said the session was one of the most unpleasant in 20 years.

“Many of us were volcanic,” Mikulski said about the reports of an Obama-Boehner deal with no revenues. “You can’t ask us to vote when we haven’t been part of the deal.”

(...)

[UrbScotty]

1. And of course, those reports of a deal ended up being bull$h!t anyway

http://twitter.com/#!/pfeiffer44

[Armstead]

2. Volcanic opposition is necessary to keep this junk in the dumpster

[Enrique]

3. the White House denies all kinds of things

and it usually gets posted to DU as if it proves something.

[UrbScotty]

4. Rumors (i.e. about 'deals' made by Obama) usually get posted at DU as if they mean anything

[Enrique]

5. yeah that silly Barbara Mikulski

24 years in the Senate and still getting upset at "rumors". :sarcasm:

[UrbScotty]

6. She probably didn't have much way of knowing that these rumors were BS

[MissDeeds]

9. +1

[frylock]

11. she just doesn't understand how politics work

[bvar22]

8. Yeah,

...like that rumor about Obama caving on the Public Option,

or the rumor about extending the Bush Tax Cuts.

Weren't THOSE a hoot!

Some people NEVER learn, do they?
:patriot:

[frylock]

10. like backroom deals with big pharma?

[craigmatic]

7. Why cut anything? Wall street is leaning on the repigs to avoid default and they always do

what their corporate masters tell them.