Politics

Bob Woodward: ‘There’s a civil war in the Democratic Party’ [VIDEO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday, Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward highlighted the internal struggles of the Democratic Party in the ongoing effort to avert the fiscal cliff.

Woodward, the author of “The Price of Politics,” reminded viewers that President Barack Obama in particular is at odds with Nancy Pelosi and some Democrats in the House.

“[Obama] is muscling his way through this,” Woodward said. “He has to. He has to lead his group. He’s got the problem of the civil war in the Republican Party. There’s a civil war in the Democratic Party. You had Nancy Pelosi on, saying, ‘Oh, we’re not going to change the eligibility age for Medicare.’ And down at the White House, they very much want to do that.”

“CBS This Morning” co-host Norah O’Donnell said it’s difficult to imagine Speaker of the House John Boehner finding common ground with the president.

“Well, it’s a necessity,” Woodward said. “And they realize this is going to dump on everyone. You know, people are sick out in the public saying, ‘You know, why can’t they work together?’ The numbers in a sense don’t matter that much. Just fix this and put the country on the trajectory that’s sanity.”

Woodward added that the only way to achieve a solution to the fiscal cliff is for all parties to make uncomfortable sacrifices.

“Everyone is going to have to blink,” he said. “Everyone is going to have to do something against doctrine, and that’s what they don’t want to do.”

(h/t Real Clear Politics Video)

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