The likely truth is that John Boehner never had the votes to cut a deal with President Obama. Any deal. Not a grand bargain of deficit reduction. Not a piecemeal deal that might have lessened the blow of all the Bush tax cuts expiring on Jan. 1. Nothing. Read More
Boehner ditches Plan B, admits he doesn’t have enough Republican support to pass it.
Boehner summons House Republicans for last-ditch conference meeting at 7:45 p.m. ET.
The House was scheduled to begin debating moments ago the core of Plan B: the Bush tax cut extensions. But, in another sign that Speaker Boehner doesn’t have the votes, the chamber recessed temporarily to buy more time to whip up votes. Stay tuned.
The latest estimate from the majority whip’s office is that the House will vote by 8:30 tonight on the crucial piece of John Boehner’s Plan B — a bill that would extend the Bush tax cuts for income up to $1 million.
Full background on that bill here, and the analysis in that piece pretty much still stands.
Except now a huge deal of uncertainty hangs over that vote. Read More
It’s that time of the year. We’re gearing up for the 6th Annual Golden Duke Awards, our annual awards to honor great moments in public corruption, scandal, self-inflicted dignity loss and general nonsense and tomfoolery. And tonight we announce not only your nominees but also this year’s celebrity judges. Check it out!
Lautenberg issues a curt “back off, we’ll get to that next year” to Cory Booker.
We’ve consulted the Senate parliamentarian and this translate from Senate to English as: “I’m too busy being Senator right now to talk about this, hot dog.”
Conservative judge who sentenced Jared Loughner makes pleas for gun control.
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