The Washington Post reports on John Boehner’s latest gambit:
People in both parties said talks broke down over tax reform: On Friday, the White House said changes in tax law must not shift the tax burden more heavily onto households earning less than $250,000 a year. After that, suddenly things went dark, said an administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Some Republican aides said the deal was simply not good enough, in part because Obama refused to cut entitlement programs deeply enough to restore them to solvency. They also complained that, as part of a mechanism to force lawmakers to overhaul the tax code, the president wanted a trigger that would automatically raise taxes if tax legislation was not enacted by the end of this year.
But other Republicans said Boehner had finally realized that he could not sell the tax framework within his party. Many House Republicans, particularly the influential 87-member freshman class, won elections vowing to never raise taxes. At a Thursday meeting at the White House, Cantor said the tax package could not pass the House. And at a Friday morning news conference, every member of Boehner’s leadership team denounced the idea of including tax increases in the debt legislation.
Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidates have been putting additional pressure on Boehner. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) vowed in her first campaign ad to never vote for any debt-ceiling increase, no matter what provisions were attached to it.
I’ve been saying it for quite a while. Speaker Boehner can’t pass anything without Democratic votes. His own caucus is crazy and irresponsible. Politically, the White House has done a great job of positioning themselves. They’ve put their sacred cows on the altar to await slaughter. They’ve identified nearly $2 trillion in spending cuts. They’ve talked about eliminating tax loopholes for millionaires and billionaires. And, after all this, Speaker Boehner says he can’t make a single compromise and he can’t pass anything.
I never thought that Boehner would cave easily. He likes his cushy job and his large office where he can break the rules and smoke cigarettes to his heart’s delight. But the White House has not only made as many concessions as anyone reasonable could expect them to make, they’ve won the messaging war with the public. Their positions not only poll better, but it’s obvious to everyone that one side is being obstinate. If Obama holds firm on this ground, Boehner won’t have a leg to stand on. He will have to crawl to Steny Hoyer and beg for the votes he needs to raise the debt ceiling. But I’m not sure he can succeed even if he capitulates. How many Republicans are willing to follow him off a cliff?
I thought this part was funny:
Ironically, it was Boehner who cajoled Obama into pushing for the big deal. His Saturday night announcement [that he was abandoning the big deal] capped a whirlwind courtship between the two men, beginning with a casual round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base on June 18.
A series of secret meetings followed, culminating in a decision to push for a landmark debt-reduction deal. Both leaders believed that divided government — with Republicans in charge of the House and Democrats holding the Senate and the presidency — might provide an opportunity to demonstrate that bipartisan cooperation was still possible on a grand scale.
I don’t think the Party of Hell No has any interest in bipartisan cooperation on any scale.
So, where do we go from here?
