My influence knows no bounds. Of course, I did convey this advice to some people in the White House. I have no idea where that went.
About two weeks ago, as tea partiers in the GOP-controlled House were forcing a government shutdown, some House Democrats sent a private and informal message to House Speaker John Boehner: if you need to break with the die-hard conservatives of your caucus to keep the government running and avoid a debt ceiling crisis, we might be able to try to help you protect your speakership, should far-right Republicans rebel and challenge you. This offer was conveyed to Boehner just as he was entering what has turned into the toughest stretch of his speakership, according to two senior House Democratic lawmakers who each asked not to be identified.
Wow. A Speaker for the entire House. What a novel idea.
Not meant as a slap at you, Boo.
………..as Boehner silently and secretly slipped the note into a little nook in his wallet.
Silly? Since when does John Boehner care if an idea is silly or not?
Lolol go read Red State with Erick Son of Erick saying Cruz is right to back down. His readers are all like “so wtf was the point of starting a fight we couldn’t finish? You’re not making sense, Erick!”
And I responded to your email.
So Erickson knows that Cruz will come along quietly.
Good.
This is rich:
“While you and I and he and everyone else knows the debt ceiling issue will not actually throw us into default, we must remember low information voters and the media. The media will report that Ted Cruz has single handedly thrown the nation into default. Senate Republicans have been positively giddy at the prospects of Cruz filibustering the debt ceiling increase because they want nothing more than to blame him for everything and ignore their own capitulation.”
And this:
“The debt ceiling will be raised whether Cruz filibusters or not. It was not worth giving the media another bullet to use against Cruz in this fight. Nor was it worth giving Senate Republicans the talking points they need to convince those on the fringes of paying attention that someone Ted Cruz could singlehandedly cause the nation to default.
“This was a smart tactically play by Cruz.”
http://www.redstate.com/2013/10/16/ted-cruz-is-doing-the-right-thing/
Yes, brilliant play by Cruz. Even a moderately intelligent paramecium would understand it.
Actually that is quite an amazing argument.
If “you and I and he and everyone else knows the debt ceiling issue will not actually throw us into default”, then how could the media report “that Ted Cruz has single handedly thrown the nation into default”? Just to nail Ted Cruz, the entire national and world media would pretend that the United States had gone into default, when in fact it had not?
Looks like the Republicans are starting to move their steering wheel aside, just as the Democrats take their right foot off the accelerator. Their hands seem shaky. Too much tea making them nervous?
If you did get through the bubble and if that was a new revelation the the White House, thanks for that. That article made sense to me, but I didn’t think that it could be pulled off except in exceptional circumstances. And I still don’t see how, given primary pressure, a sufficient number of maverick House Republicans split to give a coalition of them and the Democrats a functioning bipartisan working majority that can conduct regular business without obstruction.
But you point is well-taken. A left-wing coup in the House is indeed better than a right-wing coup.
Also someone had a classy touch to make the offer pubic. That could wind up forcing Boehner to move in that direction as “Obama’s puppet” (which is already beginning to be the rap on him).
I think you meant “public”. My keyboard is getting old too as you can see from my many typos. I only mention it in case you really meant “pubic”. It does fit.
Yes indeed, but at my age I’m never sure whether its the keyboard or the brain fart.
It’s the keyboard I’m sure.
From an article in the Washington Post via Ed Kilgore: “GOP senators had pleaded with Boehner late last week to try to pass a bill that would give Senate Republicans leverage in their talks with Reid. On Monday, Boehner met with McConnell and several other Senate Republicans. And on Tuesday, Boehner was ready to go.”
Earlier I expressed surprise that Senate Republicans temporarily cut off negotiations with Democrats to give Boehner one more chance to pass something, even though it was obviously doomed. Now it turns out they didn’t just defer to the House Speaker, they actually asked him to try to pass a bill, under the delusion that he might possibly succeed and that it would help them. Mind boggling.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_10/not_with_a_bang_but_a_whimper_1047344.ph
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Courage came late to Obama. If he’d done that the first time(2011), the GOPers wouldn’t have kept on keepin on w/this insanity!
Now we’ve got the Sequester for nothing in return. Terrible negotiating!
you neglected to point out that Al Gore is fat!!!
What is the point of comment like this? Everyone on this blog already knows that the 2011 negotiations emboldened the R’s to do this, but at the same time the sequester was seen at the time as poison pill even the GOP die hard’s wouldn’t swallow (wrongly, it turns out).
The Obama administration has already admitted all of this, so you dancing on the grave of a 2 year old deal has nothing extra to add to the current situation.
The thing that worries me the most about this agreement is that with an open alliance between “moderate” Rs and Dems, that Obama will immediately move to means test Medicare and impose Chained CPI and there will be no leverage to stop him.
Unless angry seniors become leverage.
We will be dismissed as pawns of the Tea Party.
As I posted elsewhere, I have already abandoned all plans for retirement. Younger members will be glad to know that as a consequence, I have increased my intake of salt, sugar, and alcohol as well as stopping going to the gym. As my older sister says, “Might as well die happy younger than to get old and be broke.”
Thank you for shortening your days and by extension your attendant medical costs. My brother in law homebrews, maybe I could have him send you a bottle…
Thanks for the thought, but I bought a bunch of bottles of wine in Michigan last month.