Politics | Democratic Party Dems in Disarray Over Obama's Shift to the Center Latest proposals on economy provoke grumbling By Rob Quinn Posted Feb 5, 2010 5:51 AM CST Copied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid listens to President Barack Obama during the Senate Democratic Policy Committee Issues Conference, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010, at the Newseum in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) President Obama's efforts to send a clear message to voters on the economy are being muddied by infighting among Democrats. His plans to freeze federal spending and use TARP funds for small-business lending are meeting resistance from his party on Capitol Hill, while frustrated House Democrats complain that their Senate counterparts aren't passing anything. Administration officials downplay the disagreements, which include widespread skepticism over a proposed tax credit for job creation. "You have to separate the noise Democrats are making from what’s actually happening,” one senior official tells Politico, predicting that the president will get most of what he's asking for. "There are a lot of people who like to make statements up there to show their independence, but this is the typical back and forth of budget season." Read These Next Saudi tells Iran to wise up, 'stop attacking their neighbors.' Trump cracked a Pearl Harbor joke with Japan's leader. Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier pulls out of the Iran war. Scientists eye a problem with trendy doodle dogs. Report an error