The beginnings of a civil war in the Democratic party

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, irritated with White House pressure to accept the Senate health reform bill, took a rhetorical swing Tuesday at President Barack Obama, questioning his commitment to his 2008 campaign promises. When reminded that candidate Obama promised to make all health care negotiations open to C-SPAN cameras, Pelosi shot back, “There are a number of things he was for on the campaign trail”. It sounds like even the Madam Speaker is beginning to grow wary of this President. Maybe he is no longer the “hope” and “change” that she was looking for.

As negotiations between the House and the Senate, or more likely Pelosi and Reid heat up, we can expect to see more friction between the Democratic leadership. It is crunch time where each has to shore up their support with their base. For Pelosi, that means appeasing a far more liberal electorate than Senator Reid or President Obama has to contend with. To complicate matters, Speaker Pelosi has to contend with the centrists Democrats in the house who were largely recruited by the man who is now the White House Chief of Staff, former Representative Rahm Emanuel. Many were elected from conservative districts that generally oppose the current health care reform bills. Forcing these colleagues to make a difficult vote on the health care bill could doom their chances of re-election.

While the Speaker is secure in her leadership role right now, that could all change if the Democrats suffer big losses in the 2010 elections. She would be well advised to adopt Reagan’s 11th commandment: “Thou shall not speak ill of a fellow Democrat.”