As President Obama threatens a government shutdown in September due to GOP duplicity, Senator Mitch McConnell (R – Kentucky) has decided to keep up his end of the bargin.
In his first opportunity to weigh in on the battle, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) yesterday sided with Obama and the Senate Democrats. Led by McConnell, all but two Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to up hold the August debt deal . . .
Though this is a victory for Obama and Reason, I’m quite sure the House GOP will not be swayed by McConnell’s decision. You can read more about it at The Hill.
Some Ted Nugent will primary McConnell.
More significantly, this is McConnell signalling that the Ryan budget is dead. Which means Republicans executed the debt negotiations flawlessly – by staking out an extreme opening position on spending cuts, Republicans got Obama to agree to big spending cuts as a compromise, and most of all, no tax increases on the rich.
You make it sound like Obama didn’t want that outcome. He is a corporatist Dem, with some progressive positions. I’ll take it.
True. Obama has had multiple opportunities to maneuver Republicans into a position where they had to vote for tax increases on the rich. Even one dime of tax increase would break
the radical wing ofthe GOP. But Obama always gave them an out, which is no accident.This move is more targeted though. Killing the Ryan budget will break the teabaggers, but will extend a lifeline to any remaining Establishment Republicans.
The Ryan budget was the biggest factor pushing Republicans off the cliff, and now it’s off the table. Well, there’s stlll the war on women.
If we are lucky maybe the penumbra of this event will help some Dems in House or Senate races.
Pity the poor McConnell, the wheeler dealer who must now work with the Rand Pauls of the world.Careful what you ask for GOP.