It might come as a revelation to many pundits but there is another option for Speaker Boehner. He can look to Democrats for votes. Crazy talk? Only to the Tea Party. Just about everyone else in America believes that Congressional Republicans need to compromise and work with Democrats on a bi-partisan solution.
So Speaker Boehner, with that in mind let me say it again. The votes you need are on the left. They are there for the taking. You can start at a clean-debt bill, which would likely pass. If you desire, you can even add on some spending cuts with no revenue and probably still get it to pass.
What you can't do is craft a bill that relies only on Republican votes. Listen to Kevin Drum:
But it's possible — barely — that there's some good news here. If Boehner can't get the tea partiers in the House to support his proposal, and if Harry Reid can't find 60 votes in the Senate for his, then pretty shortly they'll figure out that there's only one way to pass something: forge a compromise that can get substantial support from both Democrats and non-tea-party Republicans. Such a compromise is almost certainly available, and all it takes to get there is for Boehner to be willing to admit the obvious: the tea partiers just aren't willing to deal, period. They want to burn the house down so they can build something better from the ashes. They're insane.So walk away from the Tea Partiers. Instead, strike a deal that a hundred non-radical House Republicans and 10 or 15 non-radical Senate Republicans can support. Add that to a majority of the Democratic caucus and you're done. You've saved the country.
It won't be as a good a deal as Republicans could have gotten a month ago. What's more, it would take some guts from Boehner, who might very well be jeopardizing his speakership if he does this. But it will save the country. Surely that's still worth something?
That's right. You need to walk away from the Tea Partiers. Getting their votes means a defeat in the Senate. Perhaps you think that will save you politically but don't kid yourself. The Republican Party has already been setup to take the fall. Not only are the facts against you but polls show a large majority already have decided this whole mess is the Republicans fault.
You aren't going to be able to satisfy the Tea Party Republicans with anything that can pass the Senate. They are ready for default and will torpedo anything that has a faint scent of compromise with the hated Democrats. I'm sure you've done the math yourself but here's Nate Silver with the numbers showing just how hopeless it is to depend solely on your own party to get a passable deal done.
The 88 Republicans serving in their first full term (counting 3 who won special elections in 2010) are also more likely to oppose the bill: 14 percent of them have done so, versus 9 percent of Republicans who have served for two or more terms. Mr. Boehner can afford no more than 24 defections, or 10 percent of Republicans, for his bill to pass without Democratic support.
Placating the Tea Party isn't going to happen but Democrat Nancy Pelosi does want to pass an increase in the debt ceiling so you can look to her to compromise in a deal. She won't have to work hard to whip Congressional Dems to pass a clean debt ceiling increase so let that be your starting point Speaker Boehner. You might find she'll even agree to spending cuts so long as you don't attempt to scalp the social safety net.
After the night of uncertainty, Ms. Pelosi said she hoped the struggle would make House Republicans more willing to give ground. “Hopefully, now the Republicans will come back to the table to negotiate a bipartisan, balanced agreement that is overwhelmingly supported by the American people,” said Ms. Pelosi, who added that “Republicans have taken us to the brink of economic chaos.”
Did you read that? You'll be hearing alot more sentences with "Republicans" and "economic chaos" if you keep on kowtowing to the radicals in your party.
Perhaps you're comforting yourself because few in the media seem to realize that eventually you'll need Democratic votes. Just today itzik shpitzik here at Daily Kos flagged a Time Swampland story which calls into question your future as Speaker.
House Speaker John Boehner failed to muster enough GOP votes to pass his plan to raise the debt limit on Thursday night, throwing into question the fate of Boehner's proposal as well as that of his speakership. Republican leaders must now rewrite the legislation in order to attract more conservatives as they try to pass a revised version on Friday. But considerable damage has been done. Boehner's negotiating stance in the ongoing effort to trim deficits and raise the debt ceiling by next Tuesday's deadline is hobbled; any credibility he had in claiming that his restive members could get behind a consensus debt deal has vanished. The Speaker has gone lame.
Notice they assume you must attract more conservatives and don't even consider the possibility that you might do what's best for the country and compromise with Democrats. By now though you must know that will eventually be necessary.
With all that in mind I'm going to ask a favor of you Speaker Boehner. I assume you've heard that the economy is still struggling. So please, won't you demonstrate that your party is not completely incompetent to govern and just go ahead and cut a deal with the Democrats so we can avoid the pain that will be caused by a default?
The country is counting on you sir. Don't screw it up.