Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi | Larry Downing, Reuters
One team has been left out of the budget and debt ceiling negotiations so far, House Democrats. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is
demanding that change.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will demand a seat in the table for the final talks on the national debt limit, putting a strong liberal voice in the room.
Pelosi and House Democrats were left out of the negotiations between President Obama and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last year that extended nearly all of the Bush tax rates though 2012....
Pelosi stayed out of the talks on crafting a continuing resolution funding the rest of 2011 that included $38.5 billion in spending cuts because House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) expressed confidence they would pass it without Democratic help.
But, in the end of that debate, the Republican votes fell short, and GOP leaders needed help from House Democrats. Democrats went along with a deal they had almost no part in negotiating because they wanted to avert a government shutdown.
The experience left a bitter taste in their mouths, and Pelosi won’t let it happen again....
Their suspicions about a brewing debt-limit deal were raised last month when Vice President Biden said cuts to Medicare were on the table. Meanwhile, the GOP negotiators, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.) insisted tax increases were off the table.
Sen. Max Baucus reiterated last week that Medicare cuts are included in the negotiations, and hinted that additional Medicare cuts could be traded for revenue concessions from Republicans. Which means having Pelosi at the table is even more important for holding the line on Medicare. David Dayen, in a good take on this story, explains why: "If the Democrats can win the 24 seats needed to retake the House, Medicare would be the victory slogan. That's why it's so important to her that Medicare not be used as a bargaining chip in the debt limit talks."