When I combine the news over the weekend that Minority Leader Pelosi has insisted on a seat at the budget negotiations’ table with the following from her Washington Post profile, I get a comforting picture:
Instead of having to defend Democratic seats in Republican territory, her party will be playing offense, Pelosi argued, zeroing in on the 60 GOP members who represent districts that Obama carried in 2008.
And in the GOP efforts to revamp the program that provides health benefits to the elderly, Pelosi thinks she has been handed a gift. “Our three most important issues: Medicare, Medicare and Medicare,” she said.
It doesn’t seem to me like Pelosi is going to allow any weakening of Medicare because she plans to use the issue to win back the Speakership. Now, it’s true that the Minority Leader of the House has little power. That’s why John Boehner couldn’t prevent passage of the Affordable Care Act or much of anything else in the last Congress. But Pelosi has leverage because Speaker Boehner cannot round up enough votes to raise the debt ceiling without counting on Democrats.
As frustrating as this whole process is, it’s really Boehner who has painted himself into a box. I don’t know how he gets out of it with his leadership job, frankly. The president has vowed not to extend the Bush tax cuts again. And Pelosi is fairly clear:
On Sunday, Pelosi indicated in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Republicans shouldn’t count on support from her caucus for the legislation — which must pass by early August to avoid a default on the nation’s debt — unless they are willing to consider boosting taxes as well as cutting spending.
“We’ve all said we would vote for the full faith and credit of the United States to be honored by voting for this increase in the debt ceiling,” the Democratic leader said. “If they don’t want to do taxes, maybe they don’t want to do anything.”
So, where does that leave Boehner? If he caves on taxes, even a little, he’ll probably have to rely almost exclusively on Democratic votes to raise the ceiling. And if he does that, he probably won’t be Speaker for very long. So, maybe he just lets us default?
