With the midterms over, both parties are turning their focus to 2016. Democrats, who were the clear losers on November 4th are struggling over leadership and the direction of their party.
It’s hard to imagine Elizabeth Warren harshly criticizing the Obama administration just a few years ago.
The age of Obama is over.
Peter Schroeder of The Hill:
Democrats assail Wall Street ties in Obama administrationPresident Obama’s nomination of Antonio Weiss to serve as the Treasury Department’s top domestic finance official is drawing fire from an unusual sector: his fellow Democrats.Liberal lawmakers like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have been quick to oppose Weiss, a major investment banker with Lazard.Among their grievances is the fact that Lazard’s work is primarily in international finance and he is nominated for a domestic position. They’re also critical of his role in structuring several tax inversion deals, which have drawn criticism from the president himself.But an underlying thread to the Democratic opposition is a fatigue with filling top-ranking administration spots with officials that have spent significant time working for or on behalf of Wall Street titans. Warren penned an op-ed in The Huffington Post criticizing the administration’s approach under the headline “Enough is Enough.”
The discord isn’t limited to the Warren wing of the party. There’s plenty of scorn to go around.
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post:
The Democrats’ family feud is counterproductiveWith Democrats acting like this, who needs Republicans?Chuck Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democratic leader who would very much like to be No. 1, caused a furor this week when he gave a speech at the National Press Club bashing fellow Democrats and the White House. He said that Democrats focused on the “wrong problem” when they passed Obamacare and that the way they handled stimulus legislation was a “mistake.”As if by way of reply, the White House announced the same day that it would veto a $440 billion tax bill the Senate Democratic leadership had negotiated with Republicans. Meanwhile, former White House officials who serve as surrogate defenders of President Obama went after Schumer on Twitter.Former Obama aide Tommy Vietor: “Shorter Chuck Schumer — I wish Obama cared more about helping Democrats than sick people.”
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