2010: If the Democrats lose the House, it will be because they have failed to govern.

Unfairly, members of the House of Representatives will pay the price for the White House's failure to lead and the Senate's failure to function.

The party in power is expected to do what's necessary to pass its agenda. If it can't, it is held responsible for the failure, not those who stopped them from doing it. This is particularly true in the present circumstance. The president blaming the "do nothing congress" only works when the congressional majority is of the opposition party. When it's your own party, you just look like a weak leader and people think the underdog Republicans are simply "playing the game" better and so deserve to "win." -- Winning Isn't Everything, It's The Only Thing by digby (Hullabaloo 2010-07-13).