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View Full Version : As expected Boehner and McConnell Looking to Circumvent the Resistance




AuH20
07-31-2011, 11:46 AM
Not surprising. Let the civil war begin. http://www.redstate.com/skipmaclure/2011/07/31/the-great-rino-hunt-of-2012/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/29/debt-ceiling-deadline-default_n_913809.html#liveblog


If any additional indication was needed that the debt ceiling deal being negotiated by lawmakers is being negotiated on Republican terms, it came Sunday morning during a CBS interview with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.)

Asked about the potential vote count for such a bill -- which would cut $1 trillion up front, create a super committee to find $1.8 trillion more in savings -- the Kentucky Republican pleaded with Democrats to lend their support.

"We are going to have to get Democratic votes in the Senate," he said.

McConnell, of course, is the minority leader. He has 46 other members in his caucus. That it's McConnell who is asking for Democratic support and not Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asking for Republican support says a lot about the nature of the deal.


Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), appearing on ABC's This Week, suggested that half of the House Republican conference would end up voting for the debt ceiling compromise coming into focus, but not much more.

"I think half the conference in the Republican house must vote for this ... I think that is the minimum," said the South Carolina Republican. "I like [House Speaker] John Boehner. Maybe he can get more. But it is a $3 trillion package that will allow $7 trillion to be added to the debt over the next decade."

Graham's vote counting seems a bit suspect, though he did serve in the House before heading to the Senate. The bill that is being discussed meets nearly all GOP demands, as currently reported. It does not include revenues. It would empower a debt-reduction committee without the fear that the Bush tax cuts will be raised if that committee refuses to act. It also, reportedly, may allow for a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment. Even Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist seemed to praise the deal in a follow up interview on ABC.

If Boehner only gets half his conference, it would mean that he would have to get just under 100 Democratic votes for passage. Judging by the initial reaction from non-elected Democrats, that would seem like a steep hill to climb.