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John Boehner Hopes Ben Affleck Will Save Country From Default, GOP From Mutiny
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 27, 2011
Modified Jul 27, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 27, 2011
Modified Jul 27, 2011
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In less than a week, the United States of America will default on its monetary obligations unless the debt ceiling is raised, ether through an act of Congress or President Obama using The Force the 14th Amendment to do so. But John Boehner is probably wondering if all that 2010 Tea Party pandering was worth it. In a closed-door meeting with his caucus this morning, Boehner ordered his far-right colleagues who have resisted any increase in the debt ceiling to "get your ass in line" behind his proposed bill, which the CBO embarrassingly noted would actually save $150 billion less than the Speaker promised. Boehner needs the support of his colleagues so badly that in a GOP meeting yesterday, a clip from 2010's The Town was shown to rally the troops. That's right: the fate of the global economy now rests on a Ben Affleck performance.
Maybe what the GOP should have screened was Alive, because at today's meeting, it was discovered that the leadership of the Republican Study Committee, a group of hard-liners, sent emails out to other conservative groups calling for them to oppose Boehner's bill. According to Politico, chants of "Fire him, fire him" could be heard as the leader of the RSC "stood silently."
House Majority Whip Eric Cantor, who has been Boehner's gadfly (and potential fall boy when negotiations go sour), told his fellow Republicans to "get in line" yesterday, is a member of the RSC, and has been pushing against closing tax loopholes for private equity firms and hedge funds more than Boehner for an obvious reason: money. According to the Washington Post, Cantor took $2 million from such companies last year, "more than double the figure for Boehner." Cantor's wife is a former Goldman Sachs VP, not exactly the sort of "mom and pop" company the Virginia congressman has be claiming closed loopholes would hurt.
While Harry Reid's proposal supposedly saves the country more money ($1.2 trillion), most of that savings is a gimmick: the figures used include funds the US is expected to save with the drawdown of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Boehner's plan being panned by the CBO is a blessing in disguise: it allows him to fix his accounting mistakes and garner more support from his caucus. Boehner and Reid's plans actually are quite similar, and CQ believes we'll get a mashup of the two. With President Obama in a "cone of silence," it's up to Congress to decide the fate of this country before he has to pull the emergency lever and gamble his political capital to save the country's financial reputation. Which should be fine: 81 percent of Tea Party Patriots want the Republican leadership out anyway.
Tagged
2012
budget
CBO
debt crisis
debt-ceiling crisis
gop
harry reid
john boehner
president obama
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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