Democrats push Biden to take forceful role in bridging party's sparring factions over agenda
CNN
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden spoke by phone last Tuesday and zeroed in on a strategy for their party's sweeping economic package, deciding that the time has come to wrap up negotiations, several senior officials in both places tell CNN -- a sign of Democrats' growing restiveness at a critical moment for their domestic agenda.
And for many Democrats in Congress, finalizing a deal now rests mainly on the shoulders of one man: Biden, whom lawmakers want to take a forceful public role in outlining what he wants to see in the final package. The increased focus on the President comes as worries are growing in both the West Wing and on Capitol Hill that dragging talks out into November could end in a stalemate and ultimately doom their prospects going into next year's midterm elections.
Not only that, they say, but it could deepen the sense among voters that Biden can't deliver on the core promise of his presidency -- that he would be able to get government to actually work.