If there’s one thing that House Democrats, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, political strategists of both parties and the White House all agree on, it’s that House Republicans need to cave in and end the payroll tax stand off.
Speaking at the White House Thursday, President Obama gave a sloppy wet kiss to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s suggestion that House Republicans fold, with only the thinnest of covers. Essentially, all of the principals involved, except House Republicans, now agree that House Republicans should do what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) proposed all along — pass the Senate’s stopgap bill to extend the payroll tax cut (and other expiring provisions) for two months with the promise that Democrats will work with Republicans on a year-long agreement.
“The House needs to pass a short-term version of this compromise, and then we should negotiate an agreement as quickly as possible to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for the rest of 2012,” Obama said. “Just a few hours ago, this is exactly what the Republican Leader of the Senate said we should do. Democrats agree with the Republican Leader of the Senate. We should go ahead and get this done.”
That leaves House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and his negotiators completely isolated. A team of top Republicans met in his office Thursday afternoon to discuss ways out of the jam, including McConnell’s barely disguised cave, but emerged without a decision.
The question now is how long they can hold out.
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.
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