Boehner’s uncomfortable pause

[ProSense]

Boehner’s uncomfortable pause

By Steve Benen

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) sat down with Fox News’ Bret Baier yesterday to discuss, of course, the debt-ceiling crisis Republicans have created. There were a couple of noteworthy exchanges.

First, the Fox News host asked the Speaker for a head-count assessment.

BAIER: Straight up or down. How many votes you think you can you lose on your side to get a debt ceiling increase raised?

BOEHNER: It really depends on how the packages put together and how much members know about it. There’s no way you could make that prediction on any given set of assumptions at this point.

BAIER: You lost 59 in the continuing resolution. It seems like there’s more than that number opposed to it now.

BOEHNER: I would agree with that statement. There are a lot of members who just don’t believe that raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances.

This is one of the more important things Boehner has said all week. There are at least 60 House Republicans, and very likely more, who want to see the United States default. The significance of this goes beyond just head-shaking disgust at the extremism of today’s Republican Party, there’s also a practical angle — there are 240 Republican members of the House, and it takes a minimum of 218 votes to pass a bill.

Boehner surely knows, then, that any resolution to this matter will require a significant number of House Democrats. The Speaker doesn’t have to like it, but the arithmetic doesn’t lie.

Second, take a moment to watch this exchange, and pay particular attention to the length of the pause and the look on Boehner’s face.

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[ProSense]

1. No comment? Why

does one get the feeling that there is some sadness to see the GOP imploding?

[CakeGrrl]

2. When so many have invested themselves in the belief that

the President is a weak, ineffective DINO non-leader and have essentially bet against him in favor of the R's "winning" this battle, what is there for them to say when the evidence points to the contrary?

[AlinPA]

3. IMO, this means the house will not vote to increase the debt limit. He has the votes to go into

default and it will make the teabagger base happy. There will be no fear about his losing the speaker job....until the ignorant slobs see their SS checks stopped.