Posted on 10/15/2013 11:31:30 AM PDT by cotton1706
Lurking at the very bottom of Conn's summary of the House's (final?) counter-offer to the Senate is this intriguing nugget:
If the bill passes, House Republicans may adjourn leaving Senate Democrats and President Obama with a final take-it-or-leave-it offer. First, "if the bill passes" is an open question, though it's sounding like House Republicans have mostly rallied around the Speaker's plan. They opened their meeting this morning by singing "Amazing Grace," then telegraphed their next volley. Whether they have the votes to pass it without any Democratic support -- Pelosi will likely whip hard against it -- remains to be seen. But if it passes, might Boehner gavel the House closed, with members leaving town? Ramesh Ponnuru hears rumors:
This would be a highly risky take-it-or-leave-it strategy. The GOP would argue that they gave Senate Democrats everything they asked for in their latest deal, but added a delay of a job killing tax that 79 Senators have already voted to repeal altogether, as well as a somewhat stripped-down Vitter Amendment. This would force members of Congress, but not staffers, to forego the president's special subsidy carve-out. The bottom-line message: "We've agreed to Harry Reid's plan, plus a few small additions that the American people support. We've bent over backwards to accommodate the other side. We've done our jobs. And we're outta here." That...might work. But it also might add to the (largely unfair) perception that Republicans are the obstinate, unflinching actors in this crisis. Harry Reid is likely to say "stuff it" to the House-passed bill -- if it passes. That's been his consistent position on almost everything, no matter how reasonable. If we hit the technical default wall with Republicans effectively AWOL, I'm not so sure those optics would work well during the ensuing, intense blame-game. Especially since the drumbeat GOP critique of Democrats over the last few weeks has been that Obama & Co are unwilling to negotiate. At the moment, nothing is certain. Votes and coalitions are fluid. And the clock is ticking. Stay tuned.
UPDATE - A concession from Democrats? A tax delay that would have benefited Big Labor might be gone on the Senate side:
UPDATE II -The GOP may be (surprise!) divided on the "leave town" gambit:
UPDATE III - White House rejects the deal. Does Boehner even have the votes?
GOP leadership may be re-writing their counter-deal already, under pressure from conservatives. Shades of the "Plan B" fiscal cliff fiasco, which eventually resulted in a worse outcome for conservatives.
UPDATE IV - Reid angrily rejects the House GOP plan (such as it exists), even though it's not that different from his own. Chuck Todd:
They are still keeping the fight going, aren’t they? If they simply decided to let Democrats decide everything on their own terms and stopped raising any objections, wouldn’t the shutdown have already been over? I mean, the fact that the shutdown is still ongoing certainly suggests that the Republican Party has not totally crumbled yet. Unless I am missing something here.
it’s looking like it. No guts, no balls, no nothing.
Is there a link saying this? Is Breitbart, Reason.com, the Druge or similar grassroots source reporting on a plan whereby the House GOP majority just 100 % folds and agrees to give the Dims everything they want?
This from Fox News: Fox News is told the latest plan to emerge in the House would end the partial government shutdown by funding the government through Dec. 15. It would also raise the debt ceiling through Feb. 7 — in turn averting the looming Thursday deadline to raise the debt cap.
Unlike a prior proposal, it would not include a provision delaying the medical device tax in ObamaCare. But it would include a provision forcing Congress, the president, and many other administration officials and staff onto ObamaCare without additional subsidies.
Plus it would include a provision limiting the Treasury Department’s ability to buy more time when faced with future debt-ceiling deadlines.
Importantly, the plan would kick other budget decisions, including the debate on the medical device tax, to a conference committee.
Basically, kicking the can down the road with a promise to talk more in the future = collapse in my book! Damn!
Yep, sounds like it to me too. Cowards!
Yep, the moment the pubs leave town is the moment that the fake default happens. They must stick around offering platitudes.
Yes! FU Democrats. Two fingers up!
So, boner has agreed to allow their staffs to keep the 72% subsidies. We’re starting to see there is a priviledged class in Washington other than those elected.
The republicans have finally figured out that they have played their base as far as they can before that base splits. They take internal pols and know the base is pissed beyond anything they have seen so far and it is the rinos not the Tea party they hate no matter the amount of anti-Tea party propaganda that is spewed in the press. This is what has them running scared and helping somewhat.
They are losing power fast within the party and watching it go very quickly to a new wing of the party which if they are not very careful will not only split from their leadership but from the party altogether. Rinos have finally figured out that they just might be endangered by the game they thought themselves so smart in playing leaving safe rinos to lead them from places like NY and finding out that it is not working.
Rinos are running scared and not because of Obama but because of their own voters. Why should we vote for a group of people who will not oppose the socialism being shoved down our throats??????????? What is their purpose to their own voters if they will not stand firm for us?
I have watched the republicans since Carter and this is a party past the breaking point with their own voters. When you betray your voters you have lost your reason for those republican voters to vote for you and they either stay home historically and you lose to dems or they primary you.
I for one really like the primary idea. The problem comes if that no longer works fairly because the next step historically is messy.
good, hold the freaking line.
Nice explanation, thank you!
The House GOP had best get back to their original position. Kill KlownCare or no money. End of story. No more compromise. Turn the ship around right now. From this point on we “progressively” dismantle the feral gummint until it is once again back in it’s cage. This is probably our last chance.
The next step may well be messy. Bozo may have been elected once but the last one was Venezuala style.
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