Posted on 07/27/2011 12:35:22 PM PDT by Qbert
After aggressively whipping votes, the office of House minority whip Steny Hoyer now believes that not a single Democrat will vote for John Boehner’s debt ceiling plan, delivering a blow to GOP hopes for getting it through the House, a top Democratic aide tells me.
“Hoyer has been whipping against the Boehner bill very hard,” says the aide, who is close to Hoyer’s whipping operation. “No Democrats will vote for it.”
If this bears out — and it’s important to emphasize that nothing is ever certain in the alternate universe otherwise known as the United States Congress — it could be a very big deal. It means that House Republicans need all Republican votes to pass the Boehner plan, which would hike the debt ceiling in stages, and significantly reduces the margin of error House GOP vote counters have at their disposal.
Each Dem vote for the plan means GOP leaders need one less House conservative to support it, and if Dems unanimously vote against the proposal, House Republicans can only afford to lose roughly two dozen GOPers in order to pass it. The latest public whip count has it that some 20 House GOPers are either firm No votes or are leaning in the direction of No, though the private count could be somewhat different, and it’s also important to remember that things could change once GOP leaders release the new version of their proposal in response to the CBO score finding less-than-desired savings.
[Snip]
UPDATE: At a preser today, Harry Reid also vowed that no Senate Dems would vote for the Boehner plan, claiming:
Every Democratic senator will vote against it. Nobody believes the Boehner plan is anything more than a big wet kiss for the right wing
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Seems like everyone on here pretty much hates it. Myself included.
The House has passed two bills that will allow an increase in the ceiling.
The only thing they can do at this point is to now pass the Mack Penny plan and then adjourn. Simply go home. No speeches, no press comments, nothing.
The the dems stew in their own juices.
“This is, in a asense a good thing. It clouds the conflict in the GOP ranks over this and turns the onus of failing to accept a budget plan onto the Democrats.”
- Agree. And there’s something else that’s crucial- that is getting very little attention- we’re probably going to get downgraded under either Boehner’s plan or Reid’s. Why would the GOP want its fingers all over a plan that will cause us to lose our AAA rating- and allow Obama and the MSM to then place all the blame on the GOP for it?
A great explanation:
“Morning Examiner: Downgrade blame game
By: Conn Carroll | | 07/27/11 7:29 AM
There now appears to be only three possible outcomes to the debt hike negotiations, and all three would seem to lead to the eventual loss of the U.S.’s AAA credit rating. One possibility is that there is no deal, the debt hike is not raised, and much of the federal government is shutdown. The U.S. Treasury would still have enough revenues to avoid defaulting on the debt, but the credit agencies would downgrade our debt anyway.
The other two possibilities are the passages of either Speaker John Boehner’s, R-Ohio, or Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., debt hike plans. But, as The Examiner’s Phil Klein points out, while both plans would prevent a government shutdown, neither would produce a bipartisan agreement on a long-term plan to reduce the debt. The ratings agencies are now demanding such an agreement if the U.S. wants to avoid a downgrade. Since no long-term debt agreement is possible until either Obamacare is repealed or President Obama wins reelection, that downgrade now seems inevitable. The only question is who will get the blame.
If the Boehner plan passes, then Obama can blame House Republicans for the downgrade and possible subsequent recession. But if the Reid plan passes, it becomes much harder for Obama to shift the blame. He would become the presumptive owner of the historic loss of the United States AAA credit rating...”
Reid has already caved on no tax increases. The GOP now needs to make the Senate Dems cave on funding for only one year — with another fight next year and a balance budget amendment vote in the mean time.
So the Democrats have abandoned all pretense of bi-partisanship? The fight all boils down to the following: Both plans are identical with debt limit increases being matched with questionable spending cuts. The main difference is that the Democrat plans called for almost 3 times more debt limit increase. If debt limit increase is bad then, now listen closely tea party guys, isn’t the Democrat plan (Or an Obama 14th amendment grab) 3 times worse that the Speaker’s plan?
All previous "long-term spending reductions" can be found in storage at that government warehouse, right next to Middle East peace plans, next aisle over to where the Ark of the Covenant was stored when Indy brought it back.
COOL. Boehner should pass an even bigger bill, one that cuts $15 trillion over the next 10 years.
“If debt limit increase is bad then, now listen closely tea party guys, isn’t the Democrat plan (Or an Obama 14th amendment grab) 3 times worse that the Speaker’s plan?”
—Why do people have to choose between the lesser of two evils (and plans that do nothing to address the substantive debt problem)?
CCB is a pretty solid plan that 66% of Americans support, and Boehner got the job done last week that he was asked to do in getting it passed. Now it’s time for the will of the American people to be represented in the Senate.
That’s it- drop everything else.
Soon Reid will have two plans one for 6 months extension one for 18 months. See the house is giving him a choice.
I thought that I just heard that now Reid is saying that the Senate would amend and pass the Speakers new bill.
Yep. No need for the GOP to keep negotiating with themselves. They’ve passed the Ryan plan, the CCB plan, and perhaps Boehner’s plan. At this point, it’s time to call Barry’s bluff.
Boehner seems to think that the Dems are actually working in good faith toward a solution. It’s the only explanation that makes sense to me at this point, because he just looks silly running back and forth to Reid, Obama, or whoever else beckons him.
If that’s the case, he needs to step down, ASAP.
So at this point, he just wants to pass something to make it appear to average voters (not just conservatives), that the GOP really did try to make a deal. But the Democrats not only wouldn't vote for it, but wouldn't propose one on their own.
This deal is DOA in the Senate, which won't be able to pass Reid's deal either. Voting for this plan has no real downside, and just makes it look like only one party is willing to pass true spending cuts.
This isn't about addressing the deficit in the short term, because the Democrats aren't serious about that. This is about setting up the election in 2012.
Well that is one way to do it, but CCB has an 18 month debt limit increase. It being the only option Reid may well have to amend and pass it and duck and cover in the conference.
What happens if the Speakers bill for a six month debt limit increase gets passed in the House? This simple bill is the one that Reid can't bring to the floor, why? Because there is no way to make it for 18 months without raising taxes or cutting entitlements. Reid will have to vote on the bi-partisan CCB with less wiggle room for changes.
The only thing that matters to the Democrats now is that this can be kick down the road until after the election because the economic news is about to get worse.
None of the tea party freshmen will vote for Boehner’s plan either.
Good for them for once. I thought it would be a cold day in hell when the Democrats actually voted the way I wanted them to vote. (But for entirely different reasons of course.)
Boner should say “I’ve been informed that no democrat will vote for this bill. And Reid, from the House of Lords, has informed me that no democrat in the senate will for it. I had 100% of the republicans on board but since it will never pass the senate and the democrats are refusing to compromise whatsoever, there will not be a vote on this bill. We passed a bill and Reid wouldn’t allow a vote on it. That bill is still there for the senate to consider. Now the house will be on recess. Thank you.”
So? Go home. August recess. The CCB bill was been sent to the Senate last week.
The GOP needs to open their eyes.
If there’s a default and it’s blamed on them, obama gets re-elected and finishes destroying the country.
If they cave, obama gets re-elected and finishes destroying the country.
I say take the first choice and hope for the best.
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