So where are we?
Since yesterday, House Democrats went from saying they wouldn’t force a vote on extending the tax cuts on incomes under $250,000. Then they said, well, maybe we will. Get back to us in a while.
As that happened, John Boehner’s lieutenants/would-be replacements in the House tried to explain and/or walk away from his suggestion that he could vote for a middle class only tax cut. Rep. Paul Ryan went as far as any, saying it’s all or nothing. No compromise. Forget what Boehner said. In general, there seemed pretty wide recognition that Boehner goofed and gave the president an opening. And other House Republicans were doing everything they could to close up that opening. Boehner was too. But he had to be a bit more vague since he didn’t want to explicitly contradict what he’d said the day before. This was matched by furious emailing and whipping on the GOP side trying to get everyone on board with the unified message that Boehner hadn’t really said what he said and if he had said it he definitely wasn’t saying it anymore.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate are making clear that they won’t support a middle class only tax cut. But they’re also resisting saying that they’ll veto it.
And the White House hit Boehner pretty hard but in general didn’t commit to a particular legislative strategy to shape to shape the November election around.
So basically where things stand right now is that everything is in flux and few have really committed to a particular stance. And that helps the Republicans since it’s their interest to muddle the issue and move the conversation back off Boehner’s comments and the Democrats’ interest to press the legislative initiative. So far that’s not happening.
And so it’s still up to the president. But with much time left.
