When you run for Congress, you accept a certain responsibility to show up to vote. Especially on the big questions. Now, however, House Republicans are floating the possibility that they simply vote ‘present’ when extending all but the highest rates of the Bush tax cuts. In other words, not vote against or for. Simply not vote at all. And then regroup early next year for another round of debt limit hostage taking.
Israelis always saw they have no partner for peace on the Palestinian side. I believe that’s a questionable proposition. But I’m not sure we can understand the current ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations without understanding that just that dilemma faces President Obama. He’s got no partner for fiscal peace. Whatever yakking Speaker Boehner does and however much he bluffs with no cards, the simple truth is that there’s no reason to believe he can deliver Republicans for any deal. Any deal. The key risk is Boehner’s weakness as Speaker.
Is Speaker Boehner really saying that he wants the deal Obama offered before Obama won reelection and when Boehner was holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage?
Many Republicans and some pundits are starting to point to President Bush’s very public faceplant when he tried to partially phase out Social Security after his reelection in 2004. The analogy is poor for two reasons.
First, what tripped up President Bush was that getting rid of Social Security was deeply unpopular. That was the key fact. A supposed ‘mandate’ couldn’t change that. Bush had also scarcely mentioned the issue during the campaign.
The contrast with President Obama should be clear. Hiking taxes for dollars made over $250,000 a year enjoys near overwhelming public support and it was the centerpiece of the president’s campaign.
TPM Reader GR doesn’t like the feel of this …
While I don’t agree with Gergen’s reasoning, I think that he is on to something. Krugman’s blog post today is closer to what I think is going to happen – nothing but a tantrum.
David Gergen says that John Boehner is being surprisingly reasonable. Democrats and the President are overplaying their hand and their recalcitrance may poison relations between the parties. Read More
Having declared ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations essentially dead last week, John Boehner went on Fox News Sunday in something like tantrum mode, bewailing the President’s lack of a ‘serious’ plan or any plan or something. Read More
TPM is hiring a Designer/Developer for our New York City headquarters (we’re a Ruby shop). Details here.
In the aftermath of the UN vote to recognize ‘Palestine’ as a non-member state, top Netanyahu government officials are delivering a major FU to the United States. Not only deciding to build new residential housing in a critical area near Jerusalem, which they had earlier agreed not to do, but essentially telling the White House tough luck and you shouldn’t be surprised. Read More
Speaker John Boehner goes into full tantrum mode on Fox News Sunday.