Washington Dysfunction, With a Twist: Democrats Desert Their President
WASHINGTON — He made it personal. He appealed to their loyalty. He asked them to give him what every modern president has had. He argued the facts, disputed the politics, quarreled over the history and at times lashed out at those who still refused to stand with him.
Yet in the end, after years of frustration with Republicans blocking his ideas in Congress, President Obama on Friday found the most sweeping legislative initiative left on his agenda thwarted not by the opposition but by his own party. If not for his fellow Democrats, Mr. Obama would have a landmark trade bill heading to his desk for signature
Demonstrators showing their
opposition to President Obama’s trade agenda on Friday lined his route
to a meeting with House Democrats, who largely voted against the
president’s plan.
Credit
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
