I hesitate to even say this out loud because I don’t want to clue the Republicans into what is happening. But, they are about to see their Speaker break his promise not to put any more bills on the floor that don’t enjoy the support of the majority of his caucus or that haven’t gone through the normal committee process. He is going to do it to raise the debt ceiling. If his caucus would listen to reason, Boehner wouldn’t have to renege on his pledges, but they won’t listen to reason.
For the administration, their demand is simple: a clean bill with no negotiations. But they would prefer it to pass with a minority of Republican votes because it drives the wedge further into the House GOP, destroys their unity and, thereby, their effectiveness. And it conditions them to act in a divided fashion, which is a requirement for passing anything on guns, climate, or immigration, as well as for any acceptable tax reform or overall budget deal.
It pays to go back and look at how the Republicans geared up to oppose Obama’s presidency before his inauguration. Back in March 2010, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reflected on how well his plan had worked so far.
On the major issues — not just health care, but financial regulation and the economic stimulus package, among others — Mr. McConnell has held Republican defections to somewhere between minimal and nonexistent, allowing him to slow the Democratic agenda if not defeat aspects of it. He has helped energize the Republican base, expose divisions among Democrats and turn the health care fight into a test of the Democrats’ ability to govern.
“It was absolutely critical that everybody be together because if the proponents of the bill were able to say it was bipartisan, it tended to convey to the public that this is O.K., they must have figured it out,” Mr. McConnell said about the health legislation in an interview, suggesting that even minimal Republican support could sway the public. “It’s either bipartisan or it isn’t.”
Mr. McConnell said the unity was essential in dealing with Democrats on “things like the budget, national security and then ultimately, obviously, health care.”
What, then, does a chronic lack of unity do to the Republicans’ ability to effectively message and obstruct?
It is precisely the monolithic lockstep opposition of the Republicans that has allowed them to function as a parliamentary party with minority veto rights. It is this unity that must be broken. And it must be broken over and over again until the GOP is struggling to come together on anything.
So, by all means, House Republicans, please oppose your Speaker and refuse to raise the debt ceiling. Bring it on.
