Boehner’s narrow path - If House Speaker John Boehner can keep his conference together now, he would be in much better shape for the next round of negotiations. The proposed deal would expire just ahead of the imposition of the next round of automatic spending caps, known in Washington as “sequestration.” Democrats hate sequestration and want to roll back the caps and hike spending, giving Boehner leverage. But as the speaker has said about ifs, buts, candy and nuts, there’s no guarantee that Boehner will have a lovely Christmas. In fact, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, may yet be able to scuttle either Boehner’s speakership or the House leader’s hopes for a long-term deal on debt, entitlements, taxes and spending. [Cruz’s caucus? - Roll Call reports that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, held a hush-hush huddle with House members in the basement of Republican Hill hangout Tortilla Coast, including Reps. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Steve King, R-Iowa, Jim Jordan R-Ohio, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, Steve Southerland , R- Fla., Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Justin Amash, R-Mich.] Back to you, Senator Cruz - An unidentified member who attended the ‘Cruz Caucus’ meeting told Fox News’ Senior Capitol Hill Producer Chad Pergram that there was “no filibuster in sight” to block the Senate deal. But that could change very quickly. Cruz became a national figure with his marathon speech that kicked off the shutdown drama. He wants the partial shutdown to remain in place, a short punt on the debt limit and continued negotiations over his call to defund President Obama’s 2010 health law. With time running out, Senate rules will likely require unanimous agreement among all members to move emergency legislation. That puts Cruz and his comrade, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in powerful but high-risk positions. Would they be willing to hold out as markets crash all in the name of forcing Boehner into more ObamaCare brinksmanship
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:17:47 +0000
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