Hillarysworld

The Obama administration's efforts to find common ground with congressional Republicans ran into two pockets of resistance Tuesday: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner. 

At a closed-door White House session, Pelosi expressed skepticism over an administration proposal to offer tax breaks to businesses that create new jobs. And Boehner urged President Barack Obama to abandon much of the Democrats' current agenda on the ground that it's killing jobs by creating uncertainty in the markets.

The White House session with congressional leaders was supposed to be a step toward bipartisanship, with a focus on jobs. But Pelosi made it clear that there's disagreement, even among Democrats.

White House economic advisers Christina Romer and Larry Summers defended the administration's proposal to give employers a $5,000 credit for each new worker they hire as well as help with Social Security taxes.

Pelosi countered that no one she's consulted believes that the plan will actually lead to the creation of new jobs, sources said.

“She questioned the efficacy of it,” one Democratic aide said.

Another Democratic aide said that Pelosi has "some concerns about the tax side" of the jobs bill Senate Democrats are trying to pass but that she didn't say she'd refuse to move the bill through the House if it clears the Senate.

Pelosi's push back against the tax credit plan is the latest in a series of breaks with White House officials.

Most recently, she questioned Obama's proposal for a three-year freeze on discretionary nonsecurity spending, saying any freeze should apply equally to defense as well as domestic spending.

But the jobs bill is a particularly sore spot. The House passed a $154 billion jobs package in December but that bill has been cast aside in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid needs to win support from moderate Democrats and persuade at least one Republican to cross over on a cloture motion.

 

Trouble in paradise?  Or better yet, who the heck is running this adminstration?  Lots more at the link.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32757.html