GOP bill seen as key step in moving ahead on debt | ajc.com
In a closed-door GOP meeting just hours before a scheduled vote, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, made headway in getting toward the 217 votes necessary to pass his plan in the House. No Democrats were expected to support it. Boehner told the Republicans he expected to round up enough votes but was not there yet.
“But today is the day,” he said, according to people in the room.
Will there be enough time for the Senate and House to reach a mutually acceptable compromise to send to the President? Will any compromise be acceptable to the House GOP hard-cases? I am not sure that Boehner is made of stern enough stuff to face down the Tea Party in the interest of avoiding default. I also think that the President has decided to draw a line in the sand; I just can’t tell where the line is. Will the WH agree to anything that is even the smallest step aways from what the Tea Partiers want? I can’t determine whether the President is committed to certain policy points, or simply to a political victory, no matter how small.