Van Hollen: Boehner May Be Waiting Til After He’s Re-Elected Speaker To Cut Budget Deal

[ProSense]

Van Hollen: Boehner May Be Waiting Til After He’s Re-Elected Speaker To Cut Budget Deal

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) explained why he thinks House Speaker John Boehner can't get to yes on a budget deal before automatic, across the board tax increases and spending cuts take effect after New Years: Once he's re-elected Speaker he'll have greater flexibility to cut a deal.

"I'm getting increasingly concerned that one of the reason the Speaker is deciding to, I think, string out these discussions is that he wants to wait til January 3 when the election for Speaker takes place and he's concerned that any agreement he reaches if it violated the so-called Hastert Rule could undermine support for him in his caucus and make it more difficult on January 3," he told reporters at a Wednesday breakfast roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

The Hastert Rule is shorthand for GOP protocol that no legislation should be brought up for a vote in the House unless it is supported by a majority of the Republican conference.

A number of leading Democrats have called out Boehner for placing his Speakership ahead of the will of voters -- Van Hollen is perhaps the first to lay out exactly what that means.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/van-hollen-boehner-may-be-waiting-til-after

Van Hollen may have a point.

Boehner: No progress in talks, we're not budging

by Joan McCarter

The House Republican leadership had a brief press availability Wednesday morning in which they broke absolutely no news, but insisted that a) President Obama's fiscal cliff plan is "mainly tax hikes," b) that the White House refuses to be specific on spending cuts, c) that "it's time to address our spending problem," and d) "we've got some serious differences."

In other words, they are holding steadfastly to their increasingly unpopular position of refusing to budge and refusing to provide their own detailed spending cuts or where they're willing to go on revenue. The only real news out of House leadership today is Eric Cantor threatening his caucus that they might actually have to do some work this month, for a change. He's announced that lawmakers shouldn't make travel plans between now and Christmas eve.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/12/1169200/-Boehner-No-progress-in-talks-we-re-not-nbsp-budging

The Meltdown Gets Ugly as Conservatives ATTEMPT A COUP To Overthrow Boehner
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021935777

Boehner: Is is getting hot in here?

[ProSense]

1. Kick for

Mr. Sweat and Tears.

[Flabbergasted]

2. Kick

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. K&R . . .

would be funny as hell if he still lost the speakership!

[Historic NY]

4. Boehner the red-nosed speaker.

Boehner, the red-nosed speaker
still has a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you could say he has an orange glow.

All of the other Republicans
are laughing and calling him names.
Cantor won't let poor Boehner
join in any Democratic games.

Then one foggy Cliffmas Eve
Obama came to say:
"John with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my tax plan tonight?"

Then all the Democrats loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Boehner the red-nosed ex-Speaker
you'll go down in history!



fixed !!!!

[ProSense]

5. There:

Then all the Democrats loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Boehner the red-nosed ex-Speaker
you'll go down in history!

...fixed!

Otherwise, love it.

[Historic NY]

6. okay...

[Historic NY]

9. K&R

[LiberalFighter]

7. A whispering campaign needs to occur in the halls of Congress

Start the campaign with the maintenance, security, and services areas in Congress. Then push it with the congressional staff. Then increase the pressure by including the Republican members.

The central message should be that a deal won't be done until Boehner is elected Speaker. And Boehner doesn't have a plan that will get passed.

To make it a bit more complicated add in that the teabaggers want Michelle Bachman as the Speaker.

[DallasNE]

8. That Is So Transparent

Last edited Wed Dec 12, 2012, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

And something I have suspected all along but waiver on a little when Boehner booted those 4 from committee assignments. It now looks like he did not go far enough and still cannot lead. The Hassert Rule also helps explain why Pelosi has not been successful in forcing the middle-class only tax cuts out of committee. Any Republican that would sign the petition would lose coveted committee assignments. This is no way to lead a country nor a Congress but that is today's Republican Party. Partisan issues come first and the sake of the nation is well down the line. Destroy it to fix it seems to be the motto. The obvious problem with that is that once destroyed it cannot be fixed. Too bad voters didn't pay closer attention in House races. While more people voted for the Democratic candidate for House the Republicans were still able to hold onto control (thanks in large measure to Gerrymandering and the 2010 election in State races). So elections have consequences and we need to make sure that the 2014 election has consequences as well.

[Cha]

10. Poor boner.. what's a propagandist for plutocrats to do?

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

11. then over the republican made cliff we go

[bemildred]

12. Hi ho, Hi ho, it's off the cliff we go.

Works for me.

[penndragon69]

13. Big surprise from the Bonner.

He's really only concerned with HIS power and title,
America can burn....just give the "Orange Glow man"
(his precious) gavel Goulum, Goulum.

[1StrongBlackMan]

14. That would explain why ...

boehner's offer Tuesday was kept "confidential", then leaked ... to give the on the verge of rebelling gop the impression that boehner is standing firm. I say Democrats, let's just let this play out ... It's a win/win for us. If he is running out the clock until January 3rd, we've gone over the cliff and the cuts and tax increases hit ... PAIN. Then, he cuts deal ... PAIN for the gop, as the nutty wing goes further nuts.

[grahamhgreen]

15. Please, dear god, let us go off the "cliff"....

It's the best deal we'll get.

[PoliticAverse]

16. "After my election, I have more flexibility." n/t

[RickFromMN]

17. Boehner may love power, but I don't think he will be speaker next term. My bet is on Cantor.

Boehner failed to get rid of Obamacare.

Boehner is failing to find a way to keep tax cuts for the wealthy 1%.

Boehner can't find a way to get President Obama to give the Republicans cover in the Republican plan to cut the social safety net.

Boehner will be viewed as weak, by the Republicans, even if we go over the Fiscal Cliff.

You get rid of an executive if they can't do the job.

I'm guessing Cantor is next in line.

Didn't the Republicans finally admit they plan to hold the debt ceiling hostage?

President Obama needs to prepare the list of programs that get frozen during the debt ceiling hostage negotiations.

I believe we will be dragged over the debt ceiling cliff too.

Does President Obama have any control over what programs get frozen?

[Comrade_McKenzie]

18. Disgusting how 2.1 million people that need unemployment have to sweat it out...

Because of a lame move like this.

We are paying them tax dollars to show up, sit down, say "I don't agree with you" and go home.

[sheshe2]

19. ...

[url=http://postimage.org/image/fdnjjelm5/][img][/img][/url]

[spanone]

20. so it's all about john. what a true patriot.

[marmar]

21. Is Clockwork Orange afraid he'll be invited to fewer cocktail parties if he's not speaker?

nt