Just a quick post to say that it looks like it will be back to discussing a Senate plan today, after no success with the House yesterday. There are a series of meetings that are supposed to occur today. We’ll add any major updates to the end of this post as the day progresses.
Here’s Byron York’s take on the situation, in the Washington Examiner:
For all the talk about the Senate reaching a solution to the twin spending and debt crises on Capitol Hill, the fact is, Senate Republicans, working from the weak position of the minority, needed the strength of House Republicans, with majority control, to pass the most conservative bill possible that could also make it through the Senate. But the House GOP, divided among itself, failed to do anything on Tuesday. For Republicans, that will mean an even weaker resolution to the crisis than might otherwise have happened.
Senate Republicans weren’t happy with a proposed deal that extended government spending and raised the debt limit, accompanied by a weak Obamacare subsidy verification provision and a tax break that mostly benefited Democratic-leaning unions. How could the GOP be satisfied with that? For Republicans, it was a really bad way to end the fight. “Because it was so weak, we never accepted it,” said a Senate Republican aide in a conversation Tuesday night. “The reason it went to the House was that Senate Republicans were not satisfied with the deal that Reid was presenting. The House had the opportunity to pass something more rigorous.”
[…] But the House Republicans failed, and seemed to fall apart in the process. Senate Republicans knew the House GOP conference was divided, and they knew Boehner’s hold on his conference was shaky, but they were still stunned by the GOP’s utter failure to accomplish anything.
House GOP failure to get behind plan leaves party in worst possible position… http://t.co/H1cwDHHB8E
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 16, 2013
GOP bickered away majority strength in House, now has to rely on Senate, where party is in minority… http://t.co/NqRRQxBRVN
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 16, 2013
Events left Senate GOP appalled: 'They are a majority party that wants to be a minority party,' says one Senate GOP aide of House GOP…
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 16, 2013
Here’s what’s in store for today:
Reid & Pelosi spoke just a bit ago. Expecting roll out of Senate deal this am. There's a scenario to move this in Senate & Hse today.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 16, 2013
To be clear, there won't be any formal action on any deal later today. Could get details later this am on Senate plan.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 16, 2013
HOUSE Rs likely to go 1ST with vote on Senate plan, according to sources. http://t.co/XMagPNs0Tr
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 16, 2013
House meets at 10a, Sen meets at noon http://t.co/2JXpGEZ8Zy
— Robert Costa (@costareports) October 16, 2013
UPDATED 10/16 11:55am ET:
The Senate is said to have reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling and end the shutdown
BREAKING: Senate reaches deal to raise debt ceiling, end #shutdown… Tune in to Fox News for complete coverage. http://t.co/92lYuyrCja
— FoxNewsInsider (@FoxNewsInsider) October 16, 2013
https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/390504512521134080
Reid: This is not a time of pointing fingers or blame, this is a time of reconciliation
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) October 16, 2013
McConnell: "Now is the time for Republicans to unite behind other crucial goals"
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) October 16, 2013
Cruz: "There are many quesrtons about the timing of this vote. I have no problem with the timing of this vote."
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 16, 2013
Cruz on if he would filibuster: The outcome will be the same…I have no intention to delay the timing of this vote
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 16, 2013
Drudge right now pic.twitter.com/iXccv3Kiy1
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) October 16, 2013
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Comments
The House Republicans should be negotiating from a position of strength.
Obama wants to spend more money and in theory the Republicans want to cut spending.
So he gets funding for the federal trough…except Obamacare.
My suggestion – finish passing a CR that funds everything except Obamacare.
Pass a 3 month debt ceiling hike.
Then send everyone home…except Boehner – who can come out and say the following every time he appears on TV.
“The House passed a clean* CR and a debt limit increase. The American people have been clear that they want the government open, and I call on Sen Reid to stop his shutdown.
We can discuss Obamacare later, now is the time to stop with the games and re-open the government.”
*Stop going with the Democrats talking points. A “clean CR” should be defined as one that doesn’t include controversial items like Obamacare.
If McConnell hadn’t undercut the House Republicans by talking with Reid in an attempt to sideline the TEA Party and Conservatives none of this would be happening.
Some House Republicans have prevented Boehner and his group from totally capitulating. That is strength. Where is the strength in the Senate? McConnell, McCain, Collins, et al? States where these three and other Democrat in Republican clothing reside need a complete makeover to get these people out of office. Or we’ll always be facing this position of “cooperating” with the enemy and trying to please a press that hates us. Compromise in this situation drags us downward to a position where we may never get back up.
Agreed, We will have to work harder on primarying these unhelpful so called team players. They have stabbed the GOP in the back too many times like Chaffee and Specter. McCain being the chief senior back stabber.
This is a two fold loss, first Obama has once again been emboldened to hold on longer to get his way using brinksmanship. So guess what he will be doing in January and February??? yeap the same churlish thing right into election season… RINO MORONS, you just guaranteed the lose/lose scenario in 2014. Your strategic thinking lacks any real afore thought.
Second, they have lost the momentum in changing the trajectory of the budget. Idiots, by giving away not raising the debt limit you ceded your only tool to enforce the needed discipline on the budget process. Only a fool would think that Democrats once having won a stare down contest would negotiate in good faith. After 5 years, any idiot should see that, which makes McCain and McConnell a special kind of idiot. Democrats screamed bloody murder and cancelled tours to the WH during the Sequester because they couldn’t get more than a 3% increase in the CR, NO SPENDING CUT. What kind of idiot doesn’t recognize a spendthrift when they see one? Honestly, GOP, you could have at least at the minimum gotten a budget freeze, i.e. a zero % increase YOY and then forced Dems to decide between funding ObamaCare and cutting some other liberal beloved program by declaring they agreed to reform other entitlements with stricter means testing like Food Stamps, etc.
Claiming you have stricter means testing of ObamaCare subsidies is like claiming the border is more secure. Oh that’s right, guess who is in charge of being stricter? Obama you stupid naive idiots…
The only result of not raising the debt limit would have been to give the government a 25% hair cut in spending, most of which is wasted anyway. Obama would have been forced to prioritize his spending on stuff that really mattered to him, instead you idiots in the GOP handed him the combination to the bank vault.
What would Winston Churchill do?
Never never never never give in when you are right.
Or as was said in Chariots of Fire:
Compromise is a language of the devil.
So, this is the Ruling Class spin?
The House was standing together, until some starting demanding a move towards capitulation.
It’s not just McConnell, it’s been Corker, Graham, McCain, and host of others who have put themselves over the party and over the base.
KKK (Kabuki Kan Kicking)
Hugh Hewitt recently divided the players on the GOP side into two camps, the combative caucus that attempts to sell their ideas to a wider audiences in a transparent process and the compromise caucus that is all about cutting deals within the inner circle. He goes on to note the compromise caucus often displays a great deal of condescension to the rank and file within the party who got them elected in the first place.
I am not as generous as Hewitt in stipulating they are all good men and women. McCain and Graham almost match Chuck Shumer in their rush to hog the nearest camera. Collins personifies an old saying from the early days of modern feminism. Women will have arrived when mediocre women occupy positions on power.
Over at Diplomad the topic hs been about how this mess resembles 1854. There is some validity in that. The condescending compromisers who call themselves conservatives refuse to recognize the severity of the spending problem, much as the Whigs refused to recognize that slavery was a cancer on the Republic. Kicking the problem down the road seldom works out well.
The Fitch ‘downgrade warning’ needs to recognized as the clear signal it was.
The ‘markets’ will not tolerate an end to the gravy train. Any attempts to curtail spending will result in more threats of ‘downgrade’ and fiscal disaster.
The ONLY thing markets will support will be an ever greater tax burden on the productive class.
It is economic blackmail, pure and simple.
We are being enslaved, one CR or debt ‘ceiling’ increase at a time.
The answer to this is to keep the House and turn over the Senate in 2014. In that process, primarying Republicans should take second place to firing Democrats. Just sayin’.
Third party.
I’m totally ignorant on this point: how is it the Senate can provide a bill having to do with spending when such bills must originate in the House?
…and the republicans cave in again.
The Senate GOP – the poseurs who gave Reid the votes he needed to re-insert Obamacare funding in the CR sent over by the House, then voted against it so they could cliam they oppose Obamacare – is appalled?
No – they are appalling and need to be removed.
It seems some want to hold on to the next private piggy bank called Obamacare. Karma is not going to be on their side this time.
Again, I think a ‘second-and-a-half’ party is possible: a TP-based fund to support sitting TP-friendly members of Congress and also to underwrite primary battles against sitting RINOs. Such a tactic could eventually take over the Republican party. It certainly wouldn’t hurt the TP cause.