You are on point about Reid’s problem.
However, the GOP has problems in the Congress as well. Michele Bachmann and others in the House are saying they will not under any conditions vote for a hike in the debt ceiling. I believe in the Senate, Rand Paul has said he would try to filibuster any attempt to raise the debt ceiling no matter what was else was in the bill.
This is why I’m not sure where we stand on sending legislation up.
Boehner would not be selling a dollar-to-dollar approach for these many months if he knew he didn’t have the votes in the GOP House caucus, because he will get zero Democratic votes.