President Obama’s early Christmas gift to the country
As TPM’s Josh Marshall points out, this doesn’t square with what we think we know about President Obama’s negotiating style. But, if true, it warms the heart:
From the Journal …
Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
Obama is negotiating for the American people, the 99%. Boehner remains the corporate hack who only sees dollar signs for the rich and corporations. At Boehner’s back are still enough Tea Party Types to cause trouble, lots of it. Some will be gone in the new term (West & Walsh come to mind) but enough will remains to destroy Republican unity. Perhaps we should be thankful. I have no idea how it will end but I suspect everyone will have something to be disappointed in, that’s the nature of compromise. But I also suspect underneath the famed Obama cool is someone who can get mad and stay that way. If Republicans play the game too long I suspect we may yet see that. And I can’t wait.
You’re giving Boehner too much credit. He has no control of his party. He may hold title but does not have any power worth mentioning.
I don’t think anyone believes Boehner controls more than a dozen votes.
Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post’s super hard right wingnut, had this to say about the Republicans:
Republicans not capable of governing! Who says! Just look at Mike Castle… oh, that sort of proves the point, doesn’t it… And Republicans replaced him, with… Christine? I guess that double proves the point… ok, forget about national look at how well they govern locally…. Greg Lavelle… their top vote getter…. Oops, strike three, I guess it is right after all. I’ll take back my outrage….
Jennifer Rubin is sort of late to the recognition that her party isn’t interested in governing. But definitely kudos to the President for bluffing Boehner (by relying on this majority of the majority business) into showing pretty definitively that he is not a partner for governing. Boehner definitely had the anvil and his only option for any deal is to abandon his caucus and work with Democrats.
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