Top Tea Party Republican admits it: We’ve been employing hostage strategy

[kpete]

Top Tea Party Republican admits it: We’ve been employing hostage strategy
By Greg Sargent

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KING: We have not lead in a clear way. American people don’t know what House Republicans believe in, and they surely don’t know what we’re willing to fight for. And I am as disappointed as the public is...

It’s clear to me that Speaker Boehner made a decision, either before, but I am convinced it was at least shortly after the election last November, a year ago last November, that we would not be in a position where we would be blamed for shutting down the government ... that’s the only place where you bring the leverage to this Congress, to take on Harry Reid and Barack Obama, is you have to be willing to face a shutdown and you have to have the debate among the American people.

INGRAHAM: You think that would have helped the Republican Party and you guys would be in a better position today if the government had been shut down?

KING: The shutdown isn’t the point so much as, I don’t want the shutdown either. But if you are afraid of the shutdown you can’t have the confrontation and you lose every negotiation along the way.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/01/02/gop_rep_steve_king_boehner_responsible_for_weak_majority.html


And there you have it! During each impasse — the first government shutdown fight; the debt ceiling debacle; the payroll tax cut showdown — we keep being told that Tea Partyers really are crazy enough to allow the worst to happen. During the government shutdown fight, we were even told that Tea Partyers viewed that outcome as a positive. Their willingness to take us over a cliff is why Dems simply must make the concessions they’re demanding.
MORE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/top-tea-party-republican-admits-it-weve-been-employing-hostage-strategy/2012/01/03/gIQA1fXKYP_blog.html

[SixthSense]

1. It's what works in DC

just look at how TARP was passed

maybe we ought to try some of this strategy ourselves?

[Scuba]

2. Only the ignorant (including those willfully so) haven't seen this already. n/t

[Pholus]

3. I can't believe that our highly paid and oh-so-respected strategists didn't know this.

The GOP certainly caved quickly enough at Christmastime when the pressure turned on. Why were we so allergic to going toe-to-toe with them in the past three years?

And why is it being disloyal to ask this question?