One argument House Republican leaders — including Speaker John Boehner — are making about their refusal to adopt the Senate’s payroll tax cut compromise is a throwback to old times. They note that “regular order” in Congress is for the House and Senate each to pass legislation and to then convene a conference committee where members from each chamber meet to iron out the differences between the bills.
That’s “regular order” in a traditional sense, but it’s not even close to how this Congress has operated in practice. Case in point: both the House and Senate have passed legislation to reauthorize federal aviation programs on a semi-permanent basis. One key area of disagreement between the parties is a provision in the House bill that would make it much more difficult for rail and airline workers to unionize — just the sort of provision that could be the focal point of negotiations in a conference committee.
But House Republicans won’t let that happen, and have pushed a series of temporary reauthorizations instead.
Vince Morris, a spokesman for Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) notes the irony.
“Speaker Boehner says it’s important that the Senate agree to sit down and conference out the differences between the House and Senate payroll tax extension bill,” Morris says. “It’s worth noting that for nearly a year, Boehner has steadfastly refused to appoint conferees on the FAA bill. Chairman Rockefeller has asked repeatedly for the Speaker to appoint conferees. Instead he has been satisfied with a series of short term extensions. In fact, the latest short term extension expires in barely a month. If short term extensions are fine for the FAA, what’s wrong with a 2 month payroll extension?”
Even if Boehner wins this fight with Senate Democrats, don’t expect Republicans to relent on the FAA bill. But keep it in mind as an illustration of how nimbly pols will hopscotch between incompatible process arguments when it suits their underlying policy objectives.
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.
killerinstinct2003 Boy have you ever got that one right!
killerinstinct2003
Democrats shouldn't elect as House or Senate leaders members who are from red states as they will always have one eye on the conservative/republican voter in their state/district.
killerinstinct2003 You are overlooking that the dynamics are very different in the two chambers. The House works strictly on majority vote, and the majority party can pretty much set the rules as they please. The Senate is set up to require uninimous consent for just about everything, which means that a lone senator can gum up the works pretty badly. And what doesn't require unanimous consent these days requires a super majority.
The problem is not Harry Reid; the problem (at least part of it) is that the Senate has become dysfunctional because of the abusive use of rules designed to assure that minority interests are given some say in the proceedings.
The other problem is actually John Boehner, because he is very bad at the job of being Speaker. He could very well govern with a working bipartisan majority, but he doesn't want to do that, because he is afraid that it will jeopardize his chances of being re-elected Speaker in the next Congress. Instead, he insists that nothing passes that doesn't have a majority of the majority, and he even seems to prefer that there be enough Republicans in favor to carry the motion without any Democratic support whatsoever.
That's why he is not allowing a straight up-or-down vote on the payroll tax cut. He fears that there would be enough Republicans in favor of passing the two-month extension that they would form a majority with the Democrats and pass it over the objections of the Tea Party caucus.
If only Harry Reid would stop doing his Mickey Mouse impression and shout this out.
The Speaker has the problem that he doesn't have the votes to pass anything without the caucus members that don't care about reelection and wont compromise with those they see as 'the devil'. He can't go across the isle to get votes without loosing his caucus completely. Poor little Speaker, 'he knew the job was dangerous when he took it.'
BlueBoy Imagine what it would be like if Eric Cantor was the Speaker? WHOA!!! GOD FORBID!!!!!!!!!! That's a sobering thought!
twoloves41BlueBoy I suspect Eric Cantor's fingerprints are all over what turned a routine meeting of the Republican caucus into a revolt against Boehner's agreement with the Senate.
Ha Ha what a joke,under this shell, keystone get threw
why not extends the payroll tax cut for 1 year and pass it. what is the big deal?
sheikhhasan Seems like revisiting this in February would be another win for democrats.
tonnybsheikhhasan the GOPers main problems are.........a win for the american people....and obama
sheikhhasan The Democrats would be all for it if the Republicans would drop their poison pills.
Doremus Jessup 2.0sheikhhasan Exactly.
But with the DC cocktail set pundits realize this? Sorry that's a stupid idea, sorry I forgot "both sides do it!"
Well, the way this works is, if the Republicans don't have a majority, nothing gets done. It's their way or the highway, regardless of whether that's the intent of the people or not. Does this make them assholes? I just report and let you, the reader, decide.
Commie Dearest Are you kidding? The Republican mantra is 'do-nothing, do-nothing' whether they're in the majority or the minority. The horrifying twist in the last few years is that they are purposely 'poisoning the well' to make all politicians look like ne'er-do-wells and morons so that the public becomes inured to (as H Reid said today) 'intransigence'. Maybe they're right...why the hell is Reid using a word like intransigence instead of calling the R's out and beating the with words like 'do-nothings' and 'unfit for duty as Americans'? An increase in the payroll tax will hurt every last one of the soldiers coming home from Iraq....is that what the Republicans stand for?
I don't know if THIS makes them assholes. Maybe something else made them assholes. The fact remains. Commie Dearest
The success of the republicans will be determined by the fortitude of the spinal fluid of the Democrats and the President. History tells me they will cave
mjcc1987 That's because you're ignoring all the times they didn't. And if your follow-up is to ask when those times are, then you've proven my point.
Doctor Biobrain
Legislative actions when Dems had the House had been at best watered down, muted, or ineffectual.
So give up, go home, don't vote and move to Ubeke-beke-stan-stan, for all the good your bitching about it is doing. mjcc1987 Doctor Biobrain
@Doctormjcc1987 Biobrain That's pretty vague.
PearlyWhitemjcc1987Doctor Biobrain Needs more "beke"s.
mjcc1987Doctor Biobrain Specifically....?
Commie DearestPearlyWhitemjcc1987Doctor Biobrain And cowbell.
mjcc1987 ask Osama Bin Laden
I too fear rhe cave. They should not.
Are the Teabaggers really going to spend 2012 fighting FOR taxes on the middle class? Are they going to spend an election year stopping unemployment insurance payments to millions of laid off workers?
If they do Obama gets re-elected and has a majority in the House and Senate.
mjcc1987
This has to be a set-up by Boehner and McYertle. It's a clusterfuck that has turned back on them. Pissing off 160+ million people is not going to be good for the Republican Party. It's going to be fun watching a political party tear itself to shreds because of a shit-for-brains minority in their ranks thinks that THEY control the party. Boehner and McYertle now have no choice but to get into the bed with the bloody horse's head and sleep with it. If not, then the next heads they will come after will be theirs.
DF2691 I think this was an attempted coup on the part of Can'tor. He rallied support to hobble Boehner, again.
Hobbes83DF2691 I don't think that giving these people credit for having any strategy is warranted, as there's no evidence they have one except to make demands and ignore anyone warning them of the dangers of their "strategy."
That's why their poll numbers still suck, because they have all the nuance of an angry toddler in a fancy restaurant. The toddler might get what he wants, but that doesn't make him a genius.
Doctor BiobrainHobbes83DF2691
You are correct one of them stands and throws the first bomb then the rest try to outdo them.
Doctor BiobrainHobbes83DF2691 The GOP is just like Rod Blagoevich, taking each and every occasion when good legislation is proposed to count it as "f**king golden" and they won't give it away for NOTHING. But why is he going to jail and they aren't?
+1 big_o_other Doctor Biobrain Hobbes83 DF2691
Hobbes83DF2691
He is always in the background when the parasites cause trouble like this.
Hobbes83DF2691 Eric will make a "wonderfool" minority leader.
Hobbes83DF2691 <blockquote>I think this was an attempted coup on the part of Can'tor.</blockquote>
Bingo. I suspect the same thing.
DF2691 "shit-for-brains minority in their ranks thinks that THEY control the party." Don't they?
"an illustration of how nimbly pols will hopscotch between incompatible process arguments when it suits their underlying policy objectives."
Or
"Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles."
Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary
My personal favorite:
"Democracy is the theory that the people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard!" H.L. Mencken Handy
Boehner has totally lost control. I almost felt sorry for the staffer that I spoke to today.
libertyluvrz Well how did that conversation go?
libertyluvrz Boehner never had control to begin with. He is now realizing that fact, and the fact there is not a goddamn thing he can do about. He'll get reelected, because the people in West Chester Township would rather he be a fuck-up in DC than be a fuck-up at home, and getting in the way.
And people say that the Dems are poor at messaging. This looks like they are taking the message and ramming it down the throats of the GOP.
BUT BUT ... THAT'S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF DEM'S "CAVING!"
or is that "spelunking".... I get my dark hole metaphors confused....
Hobbes83
Hobbes83
That's what is driving this latest drama, the two month extension gave the democrats an advantage in the arguement and the republicans realized it too late, What would they hold hostage during the election year cycle, how would it look to voters whose taxes and unemployment benefits would be threatened in march.
The problem is that it looks that way to those of us who inhabit the Democratic machine. But how is the media reporting it? I'll give you a hint, CNN:
"House Republicans and Senate Democrats stepped up their game of legislative chicken over the expiring payroll tax cut Monday, with Democrats flatly rejecting House Speaker John Boehner's demand to ditch a two-month extension in favor of a one-year continuation."
That to me sounds like the debate is over how long to extend the tax cut, and the Democrats are trying to raise taxes in February. My point is, for those of us who follow this crap, sure it looks like the Dem messaging is working. But if you look at where it matters, in the mainstream media, the Democrats couldn't get their message out with a megaphone. Liberal media my butt.
Hobbes83
Harry Reid needs to be replaced as Democrat leader in Senate. Nancy Pelosi can get things done and advocate for a liberal cause, Reid kills the Democrats.
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