Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) wants everyone to just get over the dustup between his chief of staff and the Obama administration shorty after the midterm elections earlier this month.
Reid, in a New York Times profile of Chief of Staff David Krone, was responding to a Washington Post story where Krone described private conversations with President Obama, a move that, according to the Times, “astonished even some veteran Capitol Hill staffers.” Krone described how he and Reid pleaded in vain with Obama to do more to help Democrats in tough re-election fights.
But Reid shrugged all this off in the profile of Krone.
“He didn’t make it up, you know,” Reid said. The Times asked Reid if the disagreement hurt Senate Democrats’ relationship with the White House. Reid responded that “they should just get over it.”
“I have a good relationship with the president,” Reid said. “This is all staff driven. Get a life. Forget about this.”
Krone’s comments in the Post were pretty scathing.
“I don’t think that the political team at the White House truly was up to speed and up to par doing what needed to get done,” Krone told the Post just after the midterm election.
He also said that “No member of the Democratic caucus screwed up the rollout of that health-care Web site,” adding that “yet they paid the price — every one of them.”
Here are other tidbits from the Krone profile:
- Krone once flipped out when, during negotiations on the fiscal cliff in 2012, Secret Service agents began screening staffers coming in with congressional leaders (oftentimes the staffers just go through with their bosses).
- Krone ended up skipping an engagement party for him and his fiancée, Alyssa Mastromonaco, a former White House staffer, because he had an meeting with George E. Norcross, a prominent Democratic political boss in South Jersey. Krone “later admired a photo of the cake served at the party, describing it as “like taller than me.”
- Krone, like Reid doesn’t drink. Krone, who the Times made sure to note has climbed Mount Everest, also doesn’t smoke. “I don’t smoke and I don’t drink, and it’s not —I mean with him it’s obviously religious and deep feelings,” Krone said. “For me it was just who I am.”
He sounds like a bit of a priss. But yeah, overall, a big nothingburger story.
Yeah, just get over the whole thing that I pled in v-a-i-n and not in a blood vessel.
" “I don’t smoke and I don’t think”
Gotcha.
“…at the White House truly was up to speed and up to par doing what needed to get done”
The new Krone’s disease, running at the mouth instead of the butt end? (apologies to those with actual Crones).
Perhaps this guy should stop lauding his ability to never drink, never smoke plus have the means to be led up to the top of Everest?
So he’s complaining that because of predicted losses as far back as 2012 (Josh touched on that a few weeks back, cannot find the link) he’s now on the receiving end of shoveling and it doesn’t taste so good.
Obama did what he could, was called off the trail and isolated by those running scared like Pryor, as these statesmen and women skittered away from the Democrat’s accomplishments, like roaches when the kitchen light is turned on.
News flash Herr Krone, out here in California, Obama’s record was run on, and challenged by the Koch bandit money for all it was worth. The result, we now have even more representation in the house by real democrats.
Assignating Obama as the culprit challenges credulity, much as missing one’s own engagement party.
Time to get out of Washington and do some hiking on the Pacific Crest, where he won’t have the luxury of a Sherpa.
Heads up Krone, even a good guide on Everest can be in the wrong place should an avalanche occur. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/sherpas/brown-text
Outside of that, this is WAPO looking for news where there isn’t any. I agree with Harry.
This guy sounds exhausting to deal with on a day to day basis. Beyond that, this sounds like just another day, another everyone hates Obama story that they’re trying to push.