House Dems played Rope-A-Dope on John Boehner and Paul Ryan today

Over at T. Christopher's place he noted, a more conservative budget presented in the House almost spoiled Paul Ryan's day. Like that's a bad thing.

House Democrats staged the charade of voting "present" in response to a very conservative budget proposal put forth by the Republican Study Committee. Why? Because they wanted to paint the GOP into a corner. And "The Stupid Party" obliged them.

The ever impartial TPM wrote:

The vote was on the Republican Study Committee's alternative budget — a radical plan that annihilates the social contract in America by putting the GOP budget on steroids. Deeper tax cuts for the wealthy, more severe entitlement rollbacks.

Yeah, a budget that might actually get America working again. Can't have that!

I know I sound like a broken record here, but where in the Constitution is this "social contract" the liberals keep harping about?

Anyway, hillarity ensued:

Panic ensued. In the House, legislation passes by a simple majority of members voting. The Dems took themselves out of the equation, leaving Republicans to decide whether the House should adopt the more-conservative RSC budget instead of the one authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. As Dems flipped to present, Republicans realized that a majority of their members had indeed gone on the record in support of the RSC plan — and if the vote closed, it would pass. That would be a slap in the face to Ryan, and a politically toxic outcome for the Republican party.

Nice spin fellas. Why is it "a slap in the face" to take Ryan's plan and make it better? His plan admittedly doesn't go far enough; that is it fails to return the U.S. to a balanced budget in the near or long term.

The RSC budget closes the gap. Right on!

The Ryan plan subsequently passed. Yippee kai ay.

Now it is the baseline, the starting point for Harry Reid and Barack Obama to chip away at. We'll be lucky to get another phantom $38 billion in "cuts" while the Dems pat themselves on the back for exercising fiscal restraint.

Boehner and the GOP was played. Big time.

They should have passed the RSC plan. Made it the starting point for negotiation with the Senate. Then when they pulled the Ryan plan out of their back pocket and said, "lookee here, it's a reasonable alternative," the Dems would've had to swallow it whole.

We'd get what we want, and the Dems would get eviscerated. Win!

I can't believe the GOP leadership didn't war-game this scenario in advance.

I can't believe they weren't smart enough to seize the moment.

Well yeah, sadly I can believe it.

Once again John Boehner snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

Posted at 19:56 by Chris Wysocki   [/gop]   Comments | Perm Link |
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