House Republicans’ Ransom Demands Falling
By Jonathan Chait
One way to understand the dysfunction within the Republican Party is to think of it as a hostage scheme that spun out of control. The plan, originally formulated by Paul Ryan and other party leaders, involved a more aggressive reprise of the 2011 negotiations, where Republicans would use the threat of default, along with sequestration, to force President Obama to accept unfavorable budget terms. The plan was hijacked by Ted Cruz and transformed into a scheme using a less effective hostage threat (shutting down the government rather than defaulting) but tethered to the much more grandiose ransom of repealing Obamacare. As the Cruz scheme disintegrates around the Republicans, the original leaders are attempting to reassert control and revert to the original plan.
The subtext of op-eds today by Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan is a promise to ratchet down their ransom terms. Neither op-ed mentions any demands related to Obamacare. Ryan proposes to trade higher short-term discretionary government spending for permanent cuts to tax rates and retirement programs. “We can work together,” he writes. “We can do some good.”
The policy demands in Ryan’s op-ed are sufficiently vague that, if viewed as an opening bid, they would not completely preclude some kind of deal if he actually wants to bargain. The trouble is that Ryan’s entire history strongly suggests he does not want to deal. Every major attempt to create bipartisan budget negotiations has been quashed by Ryan. He voted against the Bowles-Simpson proposal, kiboshed a 2011 agreement between John Boehner and President Obama, then single-handedly blew up a bipartisan Senate budget deal.
Obama’s reelection has not prompted Ryan to veer from this strategy. Last spring, the president tried to spur bipartisan negotiations by compromising with himself in his budget, including cuts to Social Security and Medicare along with reducing tax deductions. Ryan waved it away and made no counteroffer. Instead, working through what Republicans called the “Jedi Council,” Ryan crafted a strategy of using the debt ceiling to extract unreciprocated concessions. He spent much of the year repeatedly turning down a budget conference on the assumption that he could get a better deal by threatening default. He confidently assured Republicans that Obama would fold and bargain for the debt ceiling. (National Review’s Jonathan Strong two weeks ago: “I asked Ryan if he believes President Obama’s steadfast vows that he won’t negotiate over the debt ceiling. His reaction? You’ve got to be kidding me. ‘Oh, nobody believes that.’”)
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http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/10/house-republicans-ransom-demands-falling.html
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if they just re-fund/re-open the government and lift the debt ceiling and start normal budget negotiations for a long-term plan. Too much to ask? President Obama never said that he wouldn't negotiate with them- just not on THEIR terms, which is to say, being able to negotiate while not under threat of economic sabotage. The Republicans have now labeled any negotiations, as well as any attempts to re-open the government and avoid breaching the debt limit unacceptable unless he agrees to negotiate some kind plan first. So, who's really being unreasonable here? Funding the government and maintaining the ability to pay all of our bills are normal parts of a functioning US government. They should not be able to "get" something extra (i.e. "goody bag"
for just doing their jobs. None of them were worried about the debt ceiling before- so much so that it passed unremarked for as long as I can remember. Until 2011 I had no idea that it even existed.
The teabaggers and the establishment had competing plans guaranteed to Rick Roll their membership and put a bunch of their seats in play. 
They shot their wad trying to defund ACA, and now they're going to catch all the blame if they don't raise the debt limit. Classic heroic over reach. Hubris leads to smackdown. It's the stuff of tragedy. 
