Now would be a time to offer no face-savng measures whatsoever and to simply turn the knife. The fight over payroll taxes and unemployment insurance will resume after the new year. It is best to so thoroughly whip the House Republicans now that they are not interested in a second beating later.
As for the Republicans, they ought to start planning their coups because John Boehner’s worth as Speaker and leader of their party is less than nothing.
AFTER what they did to Hoyer today?
they should send a cake to Orange Julius with the following spelled out in icing:
FUCK YOU
At the risk of seeming ill-informed: what did they do to Hoyer today?
FROM TPM:
While Republican leaders gathered in Speaker John Boehner’s Capitol office Wednesday morning for a photo op with reporters — hectoring Democrats and making the case that they’re on the right side of the payroll tax fight — an unusual scene played out on the House floor.
In an attempt to illustrate just who’s at fault for the payroll tax stalemate Minority Whip Steny Hoyer showed up to ask for a vote on the Senate’s compromise bill. Republicans could have simply objected and given Hoyer his talking point. Instead they gave him so much more.
Republicans just ignored Hoyer and refused to hear his unanimous consent request. The fill-in Speaker simply walked away.
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent that we bring up the bill to extend the tax cut to 160 million Americans, as you walk off the floor Mr. Speaker, you’re walking away, just as so many Republicans have walked away from middle-class tax payers, the unemployed, and very frankly as well from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors — 48 million senior citizens.”
The Speaker Pro Temp, Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), was just following orders. But the optics for Republicans — who were, again, just down the hall for a media spray — were terrible.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/hoyer-denied-chance-to-push-payroll-tax-cut-while-gop-hol
ds-photo-op-videoo.php?ref=fpa
Mike Fitzpatrick is such an A-hole anyway…I’m sure we’ll be hearing John McCain mourning the loss of “civility” any minute now. Not.
I most certainly agree.
Well hopefully they won’t screw it up.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/dems-dont-relent-in-push-to-break-house-gop-will-on-payro
ll-tax-cut.php
To circle the kill they should start with informing MSM just what the real history of the Keystone is. The first sentence could be, “And the analysis shows that the Keystone will only create 50 full-time jobs…” It is absolutely the perfect project to demonstrate how off track the Rep are on holding up the Bill for the sake of Keystone that is looking like it could never find support as a stand alone.
Second point could easily be that once the refineries have had their shot, the end product would likely be destined for Europe, not the US market.
I like how it was new/old congress critter from Bucks Fitzpatrick who was the sacrificial dickhead who did this. What an ass.
Have you looked at the GOP on C-Span today? It looked like the were just keeping up the apprearence of governing….but it was more like they were sitting around waiting for something to happen.
Better:
Here’s your face-saving measure: the Senate will come back and vote for a clean, year-long extension if the House passes one.
That’s the line the GOP has been using to cover their butts – that they don’t want a two-month extension, but a year-long one. OK, fine. It just so happens that that is also the White House’s original position.
I like this a lot. Have the Senate pass a year-long extension, nothing else attached. And watch the House GOPers move the goalposts.
We can’t pass that through the Senate.
Reid couldn’t pass it last time, no.
But things have changed.
You don’t think enough GOPers would get on board this time in order to make the hurting go away?
Who’s going to do it? It’s not in the President’s nature to twist knives or beat up on anybody, unless it’s so subtle that only the very very interested notice. But hey, we can hope.
Twisting the knife would be an act of grandmotherly kindness compared to what the modern GOP deserves