Hard to believe what I’m reading, hearing, and watching. It’s a concerted, bipartisan effort to snatch defeat when victory is in sight.
Let’s start with the House Democrats, who are content to make a political statement and sit on their hands. That means that the Boehner plan must pass with only Republican votes and Democrats don’t care if financial markets melt down tomorrow morning (they will).
Add to this list the White House. Are they whipping Democrats to vote for the Boehner plan, move a legislative vehicle to the House, soothe financial markets, and work to a better (in their eyes) legislative outcome in the Senate? No; that’s called governing. Instead, they are pushing a Reid proposal that will never get 60 votes in the Senate.
Now, about the Senate. Can Harry Reid actually move a piece of legislation, whether it comes from the House Republicans or one of his own? No. The Senate Democrats’ contribution to the week’s efforts has been a letter saying “no way” to a plan that has yet to emerge from the House. Meanwhile, America slides toward meltdown.
And finally, let’s discuss the House Republicans who are standing on the brink of sending to the Senate — who will pass it — and the president — who will sign it — a piece of legislation that is consistent with their principles, if not perfect. Instead of simply voting yes, they have formed a variety of unproductive coalitions: the Coalition of the Willfully Ignorant (who claim you don’t need a debt-ceiling increase or that markets won’t care and there will be no fallout) and the Coalition of It’s Someone Else’s Problem (because I just want to have an issue and campaign). Result: They suffer a political loss and America loses.
Wow. Hope somebody either blinks, or thinks.
What makes you think that if Reid's bill can't pass the Senate, Boeher's bill will?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe author of this entry sounds like a RINO
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRest easy. The Democrats will be at the forefront when it comes to unrestricted abortions, same-gender marriage, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and benefits for public service unions. And, some Republicans will join them!
Beam me up, Scotty. Hey, this is only a cell phone!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe captcha is "Real McCoy" - that's what this post is. Well said, sir.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is completely right. Thank you. Pass the bloody bill and realize that this can be one victory in what has been, is, and will be a very long fight for the fiscal sanity of this country.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Dems are apoplectic over the Boehner bill because they know it ruins their media narrative and scheme to blame the House GOP for possible default, downgrade, and acrumbling economy.
Pass Boehner tonight.
What Ann Coulter was trying to say when Hannity shut up long enough to let her get a word in: even the MSM cannot spin this fiasco on the GOP if the GOP has passed, and sent, TWO separate debt reduction plans to the Senate, where the Dems killed both. This is about winning independents.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseyea let's not let a crisis go to waste. you beltway losers.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAMEN!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThank you for a well thought out contribution. Surely you have more wisdom to offer.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe crowds are voting on what's really going to take place, as in "wisdom of the crowds" as voiced by Intrade. The chance as of tonight that the debt limit will be raised by July 31 is 12%.
External Link
The chance as of tonight of raising it by the end of August is similarly 83%
External Link
Chance of a US credit downgrade by 2013 is ~60%
External Link
If I may summarize the crowd: the debt limit will not be raised by August 2 and some checks will be skipped before a deal is eventually struck by the end of August. However the deal will not adequately address the deficit leading a credit downgrade.
External Link
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs bad as the bill is, passing it is a clear win for Repubs. It becomes the only game in town and will put extreme pressure on Dems to pass it or something close. If this bill is passed, the media will have an extremely hard time pinning a financial meltdown on Republicans. Sure, they'll try but it won't be effective. If it fails, and the stock market dives tomorrow, the media blame game will be successful. It's that simple
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDouglas...
Isn't this whole episode in the House tonight making the case for the Reid bill rather than the Boehner bill...why are we doing this all over again in December?
Why should the WH be whipping the Boehner bill, which they've said they will veto, when the WH has come out for the Reid bill?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse60votes in the Senate? Did I miss a Constitutional Amendment somewhere??
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe epistemic closure revealed in this post is truly breathtaking. The author screams at the White House for not whipping Democratic votes for the Boehner plan? What planet do you come from? Good grief.
The GOP is unfit to govern. They are unserious about the debt, and acting like spoiled children when it comes to making difficult compromises.
Pathetic.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNice post, troll. Next time, you should make it more believable by stating, "As a lifelong Republican, I have always followed the party line, but today my party has shown me something that is a disgusting shadow of what it used to be. That is why I am switching my vote to re-elect Barack Obama in 2012."
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Add to this list the White House. Are they whipping Democrats to vote for the Boehner plan, move a legislative vehicle to the House, soothe financial markets, and work to a better (in their eyes) legislative outcome in the Senate? No, that’s called governing. Instead they are pushing a Reid proposal that will never get 60 votes in the Senate. Defeat again at the expense of the reelection agenda."
I missed the part of the Constitution where bills require 60 Senate votes to pass. So if the Dems not voting for the Boehner plan are making a political statement, what are the Republicans that would filibuster a bill that can get a simple majority doing?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGiven that leader Reid has said for two days that the speaker's new bill is dead in the senate before the house has even voted on it I'm a tad confused by your statement that the senate will pass it. This is equally mystifying as you follow by stating that the president will sign it. This is of course the same president who had also said he will veto it, before a vote has even been taken.
Given that all in the MSM have already begun blaming Republican's for a potential economic meltdown, why would the leader of the senate, and the president suddenly disavow all past statements, forget past history, ignore the fact that in the media they are winning - and suddenly sign the bill.
Especially as Republican senators are doing what they always do and already undercutting the house by continuing to negotiate an even more favourable bill for the Democrats.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse+1...hope it's 'Think' because if it is not, it will be a blood bath for the 24 or more GOP 'no' votes when plan 'C' comes down the pipe
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIncredible that the Republicans are throwing away their majority in only eight months. These tea party clowns are not fit to govern and will be thrown out en masse in 2012. Mind boggling that these idiots are so incompetent that they have actually made a Pelosi led Congress the better alternative.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou're absolutely right, Teddy. God forbid that citizens actually want the government to live within its means.
For the record, I've never been to a Tea Party event nor contributed to a TP organization, but you can sure bet that I will get involved in the future. It's nice to actually see some politicians on the conservative side with a little backbone.
Maybe you Repubics need to remember who it was that worked and SUCCEEDED in getting these freshmen elected. It certainly wasn't the Republican establishment nor it cronies (including NRO).
Boehner, McConnell, and the rest of 'em simply benefited from an energized electorate that realized this president's policies were destroying this country and they want somebody--ANYBODY--to put a stop to it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse