Democratic aides were paying close attention to Super Committee co-chair Jeb Hensraling’s appearance on CNBC Tuesday night. For them, the most worrying thing was this part:
“We have gone as far as we feel we can go,” Hensarling said. “We put $250 billion of what is known as static revenue on the table, but only if we can bring down rates. We believe we can bring the top individual rate down to 28, 29, maybe at most 30 percent, bring the corporate rate down to the median of the EU, 25 percent. And on balance, we think that would be pro growth. But, listen, any penny of increased static revenue is a step in the wrong direction.”
Dems rejected that offer Hensarling’s describing. It’s a non-starter. But they hoped it represented a breakthrough — a sign that they could negotiate toward something workable. Aides now say if Hensarling was telling the truth — if Republicans “have gone as far as we feel we can go” — then that’s it. Democrats will see that as Republicans walking away from the table. Because that was nowhere near far enough. That’s the key question for today and basically the next week. Will Republicans come off their mark. Because if they don’t, looks like it’s game over.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.