The Obama administration took a one-two punch this week from Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh’s resignation citing “brain-dead partisanship” and ally John Podesta’s use of a vulgarity to describe Washington
politics.
The White House response? “We’ve done nothing wrong,” said press secretary Robert Gibbs.
But both instances highlight persistent frustration with the partisan gridlock that voters are blaming both parties for this year. And they underscore the pressure on President Obama to deliver Democratic votes and preserve his majority against a strong anti-incumbent headwind.
“The anger level is really unnerving to elected officials in Washington — a lot of them are wondering whether they should run again or run for cover,” said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida.
“Longevity in office is about the worst thing you can have on your resume right now,” she said.
Later this week, Obama will make stops in Denver and Las Vegas to campaign for Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Both are facing tough re-election bids that will test Obama’s ability to deliver votes.
Though Obama is a prodigious fundraiser, his record in helping other Democrats is weak. Despite his efforts, Democrats under Obama’s watch have lost statewide races in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts.
Podesta in an interview with the Financial Times said the Obama administration “lost the narrative” on health care reform by focusing too much on deals with Congress.
Asked to rate the health of the nation’s political system, Podesta said it “sucks.”
“It feels like a very frustrated country, a country frustrated with the inability of Washington to do anything to get the economy going again, to get jobs going again,” said Podesta, former chief of staff to President Clinton who led Obama’s transition team.
He added, “I think that there is tremendous anger [and] frustration about the inability to improve people’s lives.”
Bayh, an Indiana Democrat and onetime finalist to serve as Obama’s vice president, said he will not seek re-election to a third term.
His departure brings Republicans closer to their goal of regaining control of the Senate, an outcome that would mean havoc for Obama’s agenda.
Both Podesta and Bayh spread the blame around for Washington’s partisan gridlock. For his part, Gibbs said Bayh’s reasons for stepping down echo Obama’s reasons for running.
“I think [it shows] his frustrations with the way Washington works, the president’s frustration with the way Washington works, the Americans people’s frustration with the way Washington works,” Gibbs said. “Look, I think everybody involved is probably partly responsible.”
The White House in recent weeks has stepped up its criticism of what Obama and Gibbs call “this town,” a Washington so mired in political gamesmanship that nothing gets done.
But MacManus noted that running against Washington as an incumbent is tricky. It’s usually a campaign theme that works best for outsiders.
“To make that work, you have to be able to point to tangible examples of where you bucked ‘this town’ and its way of doing things, and they better be credible,” she said.
