All the available information suggests that the current payroll tax debate is hurting Republicans badly and buoying the President. You can see it in the body language of Boehner, Cantor and the rest of the leadership. The fact that Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly for the compromise speaks volumes.

But the real tell is elsewhere. Read More

President Obama just made an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room to address the payroll tax deal defeat: “This is not poker, this is not a game for the millions of Americans who will take a hit because the economy grows more slowly.”