WASHINGTON — The congressional campaign arm of the Democratic Party has been keeping President Barack Obama abreast of its recruitment efforts, after Obama said he would play a more active role in helping Democrats to win control of the House in 2014.
"We're in a very good place on the president's commitment, and the president is in a very good place on the president's commitment," Rep. Steve Israel, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told committee supporters during a presentation Wednesday.
"The president has also asked us to keep him apprised of some of our recruiting priorities and we've been sharing that information with the White House, and they've been very receptive to it," he added.
Obama has a major stake in whether Democrats can reclaim control of the House in 2014: House Republicans have shown themselves to be effective obstructionists on most legislation the president supports, and he would be better able to pursue his policy priorities with Congress on his side.
The president will meet with House Republicans at the Capitol on Wednesday as part of what has been termed a "charm offensive" in the Washington dialect — but few people believe the outreach will do much to make the House more amenable to the president's legislative wish list.