October 12, 2013

FROM HUFFPO:

Most of the headlines are about how the Democrats are winning. Except this one. WASHINGTON -- For Senate Democrats, the surest sign the party is on the brink of handing significant concessions to Republicans is that Democrats are so clearly winning the struggle. "We are so totally, completely winning this thing that naturally it means we're gonna cave, right? I mean they're [the Republicans] getting hammered," a Democratic Senate aide said. "So when are we going to give them what they want?" A Senate Democratic leadership aide, who has been buoyed throughout the showdown by the toughness displayed by the president, said he was getting signals that the White House is going soft. "I do fear the White House is up to something bad. [Obama] says over and over, 'I won't negotiate', but we know he loves to cave," the aide said. The willingness of the Democratic sources to comment -- though without direct attribution -- is a sign of the growing tensions between Senate Democrats and the White House as the showdown enters its final stage. MORE: HUFFPO