Republican pal tells me: “In poker terms, Obama has three 9s while Boehner had a pair of 4s, and Boehner is walking away from the table in much better shape than Obama…..”
John Boehner has the support of Grover Norquist in selling his deal with the White House.
We all remember that classic scene from The Godfather where the movie producer Jack Woltz wakes up with a horse’s head in his bed. You’ll recall that he’d been holding out on casting the Godfather’s favored actor in a plum role, and – basically – thought these Mafioso guys were only playing around.
Reader TT has been reading the novel lately and thinks Mario Puzo’s description of Woltz’s ensuing panic oddly parallels that of the Democratic debt negotiators when they realized the Tea Party idealogues really were willing to risk default. The passage is below the fold. Read More
For those holding their breath over the debt crisis, Sunday night brought some positive news.
Around 8:30pm the chief Senate Democrat Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell hit the chamber floor to announce they had reached a deal in principle. Now they just need to sell it to their members. The Senate is due to reconvene at 10:30am Monday with a view to taking a vote in the following hours.
But don’t let out that sigh of relief just yet. Here’s why: Read More
We’ve been reporting on the Republican sticking points in the latest debt drama. Brian Beutler noted that leeriness over defense cuts may scuttle this deal yet.
Evan McMorris-Santoro described the outrage of hardcore conservatives who had pinned their hopes on the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment that would lock in future spending. This provoked a fascinating observation from TPM reader, PS: Read More
“Not so fast…”
That seems to be the message emerging on two fronts after Harry Reid signed off on what many think could be the final debt deal.
However, Nancy Pelosi is already indicating this could be a hard sell to House Democrats. And now Republican hold-outs are airing their sticking points too. Details here.
With almost all the Washington press corps focused on backroom dealings between Senate leaders and the White House, it’s been easy to forget the final debt deal will have to clear the House of Representatives as well.
So how are things looking there? TPM’s Brian Beutler has the latest.
What a difference a few hours can make. TPM’s Brian Beutler reports there are signs the debt debacle could be moving into its final stages.
The leaked details of the proposed deal have already enraged both progressives and hardcore conservatives. Read those details here.