No one in American punditry engages in more writing-it-will-make-it-so bullshit than J-Rube at the Washington Post. Look at this piece of crap:
The White House is acting like it had no “plan B” in the “fiscal cliff” fight. Ever since House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he would put to a vote a measure to extend all current tax rates except those for households making more than $1 million, the president and his advisers have been apoplectic. How dare he offer something Senate Democrats once approved! Protect all but millionaires?! The Democrats’ ire is as intense as it is nonsensical, and Republicans are openly mocking the White House.
I don’t think it’s violating any trust to reveal to you that I receive both on and off-the-record correspondence from the White House. On most weekdays, I’ll get a few heads-up about things the White House thinks are important. They’ve sent me exactly one email about Plan B, and that was to point out how much conservatives hate it. They are the furthest thing from apoplectic. They are actually focused elsewhere. I’ve received seven emails on gun control. And I really have no idea why J-Rube thinks the Republicans are mocking the White House. If they are, I don’t think it has even been noticed.
At any rate, the House will pass its bills and send them to the Senate. Poor Senate Dems will actually have to vote on something. This should be interesting to see what they come up with.
Actually, no, the Senate will ignore the House Republicans just as thoroughly and completely as the White House will.
No one is remotely impressed with anything the House is doing today. They might as well not even be is session for all the relevance their actions will have.
The headline of J-Rube’s piece? “Republicans put Obama in a box.”
It’s hard to get more delusional than that.
Seriously. In a box?
The GOP barely has itself under control in the house. The don’t control the senate or white house.
I don’t think they can control their bowels.
It’s hard to get more delusional than that.
Until her next post.
Her column is aspirational, which is another way of saying wishful thinking.
She isn’t even trying to describe reality accurately. She’s trying to lead other people to express this opinion.
I hate this elitist, Straussian bullshit. She treats her readers like little pawns, inferior beings to be lied to at will if it’s at all convenient.
She treats her readers like little pawns, inferior beings to be lied to at will if it’s at all convenient.
That’s what she gets paid to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Considering what she did during the recent election and its effects, isn’t that exactly what Republicans are?
Well, Boehner and (particularly) Cantor sure did lie to J-Rube, because they still don’t have the votes for the tax portion of the Speaker’s Plan B, many hours after the original vote was scheduled.
So much for the “box” they’ve placed the Dems in- this budget is going to be an even more unacceptable, unpopular mess by the time they conclude. Or maybe the Speaker won’t get a full budget before this Congressional session concludes- exciting!
John is calling an emergency meeting of his entire caucus at this moment. It’s amusing to consider the random combination of threats, vote purchasing, and pleas for simple recognition of reality that Boehner and his deputies have been flogging their Members with in the last 24 hours.
Pathetic leadership, and Cantor has tied himself to the Speaker’s anvil as well. Perhaps Eric will leave him at the altar.
So, who’ll be the new Speaker?
I just read something that said Plan B had barely passed by something like 6 votes. Five minutes later I see something that says they never voted, but then I see that Boner’s office has issued some statement that looks like they did indeed pass Plan B.
What a totally screwed up mess. A bunch of clowns.
What I want to know is how you can come up with an actual vote count for a vote that never took place.
They passed the cuts part. For some reason unbeknownst to anyone but the Speaker, he separated the votes. The sweeteners and kicks to the poors and olds was held earlier and passed by 6 votes.
Now they just failed to vote for the tax increase, which had the blessing of Saint Grover, and failed. They pulled the bill from the floor.
They’re cracking me up out here in never, never land and damn… we’re nearly out of popcorn! Garcon! ~ more popcorn, s’il te plait!
This not something I expect you to be able to answer but it seems to fit into this thread so if someone knows this answer please share.
If the House GOP splits it Speaker vote is it possible for a Speaker Pelosi? If so, what does that mean the administration of the House?
No GOPer will vote for Pelosi. IMO if the House Republicans remain deadset on some policy with massive public opposition – holding up some noncontroversial tax cuts for the millionaire cuts, or a debt limit shutdown – there is a small possibility of a small group defecting on condition the Speaker comes from their group. The result of that would probably be something like having a Blue Dog speaker.
would they have to vote for her? If there is a split vote among republicans and all the Democrats vote for Pelosi she could end up with more votes and therefore the Speakership. I don’t know the House rules well enough does the Speaker have to have 50%+1 or just the most votes?
Even if the Senate had to act on it…there’s a problem: what can the Senate act on when John Boehner can even pass his own “Plan”?
John Boehner can’t* even pass his own plan.
Liveblog
So much for Boehner’s “morning after bill”.
I think we have a new wanker of the day.
John Boehner may actually edge Mitt Romney out for Wanker of the Year at this rate.
Didn’t she win last week? Is there a Hall of Fame for winning it three times?
This is good news for Jennifer Rubin. And the Orange Man. And Ryan, Cantor and McCarthy.
Hannity just led his show with live appearances by Allen West and Marsha Blackburn. Sean told them he was proud of them for standing on principle. Their smiles were broad.
Order 55-gallon drums full of popcorn for the GOP war. With layered butter, please.
I get it now. She’s trying to do outreach from the Republican leadership to the Tea Party.
The first four uber-partisan, bizarrely triumphalist paragraphs, including the press release blockquote, are merely there to establish her conservative bona fides, to set the stage for her message to other Republicans:
She lauds the Republican leadership as brilliant, proclaims that they’ve really got that Krafty Kenyan this time, and indulges in some neener-neener. She’s clearly writing to dissenting Republicans to get in line.