If Boehner’s bill dies in utero or Harry Reid kills it, does that mean he has to forge a compromise with Democrats? Not really. He can sit on his ass and sulk. He can let default happen and then pass a bunch of sense-of-the-House bills that call Obama a worthless bloody git who caused the whole thing by himself without any help from anyone. FOX News will crown him for it.
If Boehner compromises then the only thanks he gets will come from sensible commenters like Krugman or Joe Klein (bad) or Democrats (worse). For all the gratitude that he can expect from his own foaming base, Boehner might as well retire on the spot to spend more time with his five iron.
IMO default and chaos is the best chance for the GOP. If they deal then they can look forward to explaining the Ryan budget to their constituents, plus this. The special election in New York’s 26th gave us a handy preview of how much fun that will be. Chaos at least offers hope. With the economy collapsed and the country in pieces, there is always some question about who will end up with the largest piece.
John Boehner does not ‘have’ to do anythingPost + Comments (150)