Uh Oh... 'Capitol’s Tremors Unsettle White House, Too' - NYT

[WillyT]

Capitol’s Tremors Unsettle White House, Too
By JACKIE CALMES - NYT
July 28, 2011, 8:41 PM

<snip>

The White House was taken by surprise late on Thursday afternoon by the news that Speaker John A. Boehner, facing a Republican rebellion and scrambling for votes, had once again delayed House action on his proposal to increase the nation’s debt limit in return for spending cuts.

Like many in Washington, administration officials up to President Obama had expected that Mr. Boehner, a Republican of Ohio, would rally enough votes of his House majority to pass the measure after first postponing the floor debate on Tuesday to tweak the bill and lobby recalcitrant conservatives.

Administration officials had no immediate reaction. On just about any other issue they might have been openly cheered by the public show of Republican infighting over a bill that Mr. Obama had threatened to veto. But with the stakes so high given the looming deadline for raising the nation’s borrowing ceiling to avert an economy-rattling default, satisfaction at Republicans’ disarray was offset by concern that additional delays in the legislative process only raised the prospect of a crisis.

Also, the evidence of Mr. Boehner’s shaky leadership unsettled administration officials. For all their differences, Mr. Boehner and Mr. Obama had developed a working relationship this year, only recently coming close to a compromise package of spending cuts and revenue increases that would do more to reduce the projected growth of the national debt than the fallback bills now before the House and Democratic-controlled Senate. If Mr. Boehner loses his leverage over the House majority, administration officials fear, the White House could be left without a negotiating partner in a chamber full of uncompromising conservatives, on the debt issue and others in coming months that ultimately will demand bipartisan action.

<snip>

More: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/capitols-tremors-unsettle-white-house-too/

:kick:

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. This is why this make belief crisis has morphed into a real one.

[WillyT]

2. Yep...

:shrug:

:hi:

[madrchsod]

that`s what they want...a full blown 1930`s depression

[Selatius]

13. They're going to get it if nobody can stop them. That is what's panicking investors right now. nt

[roguevalley]

7. the white house is filled with imbeciles. they believe he will play the

game with them? The one that is going to kill us all? May they go fuck themselves. All of them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Well I hope this does not happen

but the President wanted to be tested like Lincoln... he just may... and that is not a good thing

[NCarolinawoman]

3. Why wasn't this debt ceiling stuff settled when Democrats had a majority back in December?

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. The GOP Senate would have filibustered the increase

In the amount needed to last us through 2013.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. The question, sir, was why it wasn't passed LAST TIME

The answer is that the GOP would not have passed it.

Your personal attacks are unwarranted and disgraceful.

[Selatius]

14. Worse yet, we probably would've seen right wing Democrats defect to the Republican side.

The phenomenon was why the Public Option in the health care bill was deleted, despite polls indicating 60 or 70% of the public supported such a thing. All of us know full well that there are deficit hawks on the Democratic side as well as the Republican side.

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. If there is a default

I will not be voting to retain any of these incompetent clowns in office.

I am enraged by this high stakes game of chicken.

[WillyT]

6. Kick !!!

:kick:

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. The White House is "unsettled" becuase their plans to open the door to forever attacking SS &

Medicare with some grotesque "compromise" is now in danger. Boehner's GOP players are going off script and mucking the whole ugly charade up. At least with Joementum and the healthcare swindle the Obama people knew the deal was solid as Joe knows how to keep a deal. Boehner and the elites that created the Tea Baggers may be finding out that life does find a way and the Frankenstein monster of the Tea Baggers fed by the gargantuan right wing hate machine is starting to make its own decisions.

[Bluebear]

11. Bingo