Last month President Obama sent an email to congressional Democrats plaintively asking for their support for fast-track authorization on his secret trade bill. "This is personal to me," the president wrote.
I thought that odd at the time. A famously impersonal president with no friends among lawmakers at home or abroad thinking "This is personal to me" would work was tone deaf, it was bound to be considered ironic to the extent it was considered at all.
About the same time he made more than one direct, personal criticism of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and the president lost the initial procedural vote.
Today ahead of another vote on the bill the president appeared on Capitol Hill...personally, making the rounds to appeal to Democrats...in person. How did that go?
"The President tried to both guilt people and impugn their integrity. I was insulted," Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Oregon told reporters after the meeting.
"Where has he been? He went to the baseball game and didn't talk to anyone," another Democrat told CNN before the meeting, referring to a congressional baseball game on Thursday night that Obama attended.
Today ahead of another vote on the bill the president appeared on Capitol Hill...personally, making the rounds to appeal to Democrats...in person. How did that go?
"The President tried to both guilt people and impugn their integrity. I was insulted," Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Oregon told reporters after the meeting.
"Where has he been? He went to the baseball game and didn't talk to anyone," another Democrat told CNN before the meeting, referring to a congressional baseball game on Thursday night that Obama attended.
