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[Today's Newspaper] fom [The Washington Post]

[Politics]
Deeply Divided House Democrats Return to Work -- and the Same Set of Problems
By Paul Kane, Ben Pershing and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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"If I had just been listening to the media, I don't think I would have been as confident," she said.



[The Slate Dozen] from [The Slatest]

Forty Days Later, House Democrats Back to Same Problems

After the recess, House Democrats "are in almost the exact position they were in when they left," declares the Washington Ppst. This is not how it was supposed to play out. When the recess got started, Democratic leaders urged their colleagues to emphasize some of the popular parts of the legislation during the town-hall-style meetings. Instead, they found themselves playing defense and dispelling rumors about the legislation. While Republicans may have used the high levels of public participation in the forums to unite against the legislation, Democrats didn't get any closer to resolving the differences inside their own party. Many insist that while the media may have focused on the angriest sound bites, the majority of their constituents did express some sort of support for reforming the system. But there are deep disagreements in how to go about it. Some liberals insist that they won't support a bill that doesn't include a public insurance plan, while Democrats in more conservative districts want to avoid anything that makes it look like the government is increasing its involvement in the private sector.

Read original story in The Washington Post | Tuesday, 8 Sep 2009