Why did Boehner even schedule a vote on his plan if he wasn't

[Raven]

sure he had the 216? Is this incompetence or some sort of tactic?

[malaise]

1. And why did all the ReTHUG spin doctors

push the view that the bill would pass - starting with the racist Pat Buchanan

[Inuca]

2. Incompetence n/t

[Raven]

3. It must be. Poster #1 above points out that the talking heads

followed right along. Actually, the idea that it's sheer incompetence scares the hell out of me.

[HappyMe]

4. Drama queen tactics.

edited to correct: Orange Drama queen tactics.

[Inuca]

13. No

Boehner is the last one to want what happened last night. It hurts him badly. It's incompetence + lack of statemanship (is this a word?) that would imply realizing that he cannot get anything even vaguely reasonable out of the crazies and therefore try to reach a deal with the Ds.

[NightWatcher]

5. he thought he could control his party

after telling them to "get their ass in line", I guess he thought they were going to be good little repukes and follow him.

these teabaggers are loose cannons and other people are starting to realize it too

[MarianJack]

8. He is very used to...

...the republican lock step of the last several years.

The rethuglicans thought they could control the teabaggers while deliberately ignoring their stridency and fanaticism. Pathetic.

PEACE!

[gratuitous]

10. Or, if not control them, pressure them into doing his bidding

Make the formal announcement that a vote is scheduled, turn up the heat on his recalcitrant caucus, and wait for public pressure to do what he could not, and get their asses in line. A colossal miscalculation; Republicans have shown themselves to be remarkably insulated from public opinion for decades now.

[quaker bill]

6. Because he doesn't have the votes

and never did. The empty suit was negotiating with the President pretending he could deliver. He has been called and has nothing.

[baldguy]

7. Because he's a fucking idiot.

Tip O'Neill or Sam Rayburn wouldn't even have bothered if they didn't have the votes on an important bill. But then, they wouldn't have considered increasing the debt ceiling to be an important bill, either.

[Tippy]

9. He knew cracking his whip would get the results he needed...

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. All bluff and no substance. n/t

[RagAss]

12. If it was a tactic...it was to isolate the tea baggers as kooks.

[Major Hogwash]

14. Because when Boehner was circumsized he lost more off of the top of his head than most men do.

No brains.

[deutsey]

15. He's flailing around in desperation like a drowning man grasping at anything to stay afloat. n/t

[LibertyLover]

16. Boehner badly misjudged and miscalculated

the Teabaggers' allegiance to the GOP. He didn't realize that to be a Teabagger is to be like a cult member, not a very conservative member of the Republican Party. I believe that he truly thought that when push came to shove, or in this case a "yes" vote on his budget proposal, that the so far up until now recalcitrant 'baggers would fall into line like good GOP soldiers and vote as the Speaker wanted them to. He didn't foresee them clinging to their beliefs and Teabagger principles.

[phleshdef]

17. Just goes to show you what a better speaker Nancy was. Counting is the first required skill.

[Blue Owl]

18. One should just expect dickish behavior from a boner

n/t