BWAHAHA! More Democrats Dissing, Bailing on Obama!

Heh, you gotta love it.

At NYT, "More Democrats Are Going Their Own Way, and That's Away From Obama":

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans may be singularly focused on unraveling President Obama’s executive orders and actions, but when it comes to what is left of his viable policy agenda on Capitol Hill, Mr. Obama’s biggest problems are now often with Democrats.

The administration’s most pressing goal, expansive trade legislation, is adamantly opposed by scores of Democrats in the House and Senate even as most Republicans support it. Mr. Obama’s formal request for congressional authorization to fight the Islamic State is deeply imperiled, in no small measure because Senate Democrats find it wanting.

The president’s dismissal of the role of Congress in approving any nuclear agreement with Iran was facing a potential veto override before Republicans scrambled the political dynamic by sending a letter directly to the Iranian leadership. But if international negotiators reach an accord this month, Democrats’ concerns are all but certain to roar back.

Efforts to change a national security program that sweeps up Americans’ phone call data and other records have also stalled over disagreements with Democrats, even though both parties seek changes to the program.

Democrats may be unified on most of the policies that Mr. Obama called “middle-class economics” in his State of the Union address — which he has little chance of advancing with Republicans in control of Congress — but these other potential achievements may be imperiled.

“Over all, on economic issues, we pretty much walk in lock step,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the third-ranking Senate Democrat. But for issues on which Mr. Obama lacks a consensus with congressional Democrats, “he needs an amalgam,” Mr. Schumer said.

Administration officials note that Republicans, given their own infighting and other challenges, have failed to drive a wedge among Democrats on issues such as funding to keep the government open and the president’s veto of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Mr. Obama’s “willingness to put forward ideas that some in his party disagree with isn’t a sign of weakness,” said Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary. “In fact, it’s a sign of strength and evidence that he’ll work with anyone on either side of the aisle to keep the country safe and expand opportunity for the middle class.”

In some ways, Mr. Obama faces a predictable challenge. He is grabbing for goals at the sunset of his presidency, relying on a Congress controlled by a deeply hostile Republican Party and Democrats who are more concerned with protecting their own interests.

“He’s trying to create a legacy,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. “They’re trying to survive.”

At the same time, Mr. Obama is wrestling with issues that have historically divided Democrats, like trade and national security. “I don’t think it’s a function of his last two years in office,” said Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats. “I think it’s a function of the issues. I try to take it an issue at a time. That’s one of the advantages of where I am.”...

More.

Via Memeornandum.