My Desultory Blog

You know the frustration is building when those from President Obama’s own party are “losing their cool” over the administration’s tight lipped approach to what is being presented from the left. Republican’s have long complained that the President’s lack of leadership and a plan is making it difficult to debate the debt ceiling and budget issues … but most Democrats up until now have played along. No more …

Feinstein complains about lack of communication from WH

By NBC’s Libby Leist

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) unloaded on the White House this morning for keeping Senate Democrats in the dark about the Obama-Boehner budget talks.

Feinstein told reporters that she lost her cool in a Senate Democrat meeting Thursday with OMB Director Jack Lew. She accused him of not giving straight answers.

“I don’t lose my cool; I lost it yesterday,” she said.

She said she’s never seen frustration higher among rank and file Democrats — that senators only know about the Obama-Boehner talks from what they’re reading in the papers.

“I like to know what I’m doing, and I can’t get any information and it’s very frustrating, It’s very hard. It’s easy to pass something and then a year or so later ‘oh my god’ I didn’t realize I did that.”

“We need to know what the cuts are, how they happen,” she said.

Feinstein threw her support behind the Reid–McConnell legislation with a mandate for the “Gang of Six” bipartisan budget work included.

On how President Obama has handled his relationship with the Senate, she said testily: “I know what he’s trying to do, but he has to keep his team advised. Whether you like it or not, people have to feel they’re part of it.”

“I represent a huge state where huge numbers of people are dependent on this.”

Feinstein insisted that Democrats will not vote for legislation that doesn’t include revenues and a specific amount upfront.

“You have to know that revenues are going to be a part of it, in other words ‘X’ amount will be revenues, or there is no agreement.”

She predicted that Obama and Boehner would have to unveil a plan this weekend given the short number of days until the Aug. 2 deadline.