I read one report this morning that was downright depressing. Republican conservatives are hell-bent to shut down government to make a statement to President Obama that he must cut expenses more than he believes is necessary now. It is the Tea-Party spirit still alive who as Paul Krugman said this weekend Republicans want roll back all of the social benefits and services established since WWII. They may try, but the vast American public won’t stand for it.
John Boehner must be pressured to let legislation go for a vote and the Democrats are betting that enough Republicans will defect in favor of the President. That is the way forward.
A more positive article, if you can call it that, says that compromise may be a last resort, but in the end may come.
Republican saboteurs cannot be allowed to tank the nation with right-wing thinking that produces failed economic results.
“But for the fault line to resurface on other votes, House Speaker John Boehner would have to allow it. The fiscal cliff put the Ohio Republican under enormous pressure to bring to the floor legislation that almost two-thirds of his members opposed.
Whether that kind of pressure can be reproduced in the future — indeed, whether Boehner would be willing to put his speakership on the line — is far from certain. The answer will go a long way in determining what Obama is able to accomplish in his second term.
The coming showdown over the debt ceiling and sequestration seems like a reasonable candidate to cause GOP dissension again. House Republicans all say they want to take a hard line with Obama on spending; whether they keep a united front on potentially shutting down the government or forcing a default on the nation’s debt is another matter. The political consequences could be severe in either case if House Republicans are seen as the culprits.
Immigration and gun control may also come to a head in the House at some point as the GOP reckons with its miserable performance among Latinos in November and growing calls for the government to do something about a string of mass shootings.
Democrats argue that the red state-blue state House GOP split that became apparent in the fiscal cliff vote provides them with an opening on other politically dicey legislation. A senior House Democratic aide told POLITICO that the division within House GOP ranks isn’t likely to vanish after one vote.
Read more: www.politico.com/story/2013/01/house-gops-fiscal-split-looms-large-for-o...
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