Senators Near Fiscal Deal, but the House Is Uncertain

[cali]

Senate leaders neared the completion Monday night of a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown while the rest of the world braced for the possibility of an American default that could set off a global financial disaster.

<snip>

But while both Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, praised the progress that was made in the Senate, it was already clear that the most conservative members of the House were not going to go along quietly with a plan that does not accomplish their goal from the outset of this two-week-old crisis: dismantling the president’s health care law.

<snip>

As they drafted their deal, Senate negotiators in both parties were hoping that House Republican leaders would have no choice but to let a bipartisan agreement come to a vote, even if it could pass only with votes from Democrats and a minority of the Republican majority. But John A. Boehner, the House speaker, provided no assurances on Monday that an arrangement hammered out by his Senate colleagues could pass muster among his conservatives.

<snip>

Many Republicans have argued that if the Senate proposal passes with the solid backing of Republican members — a possibility that seemed probable given Mr. McConnell’s support — it would be an easier sell in the House. But with the country just hours from what could be a crippling default, many Republicans believe that Mr. Boehner will have no choice but to ignore his most vocal members and put whatever passes the Senate up for a vote.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/us/politics/seeking-deal-to-avert-default-lawmakers-to-meet-obama.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=0

[gopiscrap]

1. But what about Cruz and Lee, are they

going to sabatoge it?

[cali]

2. Don't know quite what they can do in the Senate

but we can be 100% certain that they'll attempt to derail this or anything else senate leadership comes up with.

good morning, gopiscrap.

[gopiscrap]

3. filllibuster?

not agree to unanimous consent?

[FarPoint]

13. I sense they will attempt to control the House...

like drunk, abusive stepfathers...

I heard they had a private dinner with House members. What kind of intimidation could they possibly posses?

I know...follow the money.....

[LuvNewcastle]

4. This is nerve-wracking. God only knows what the House will do.

This just seems too easy to me. I have a feeling that they're going to take us to the brink, if not over it. Sure, their political careers are over if they do this, but I have the feeling that they don't even care. They probably think that the damage is already done to their careers anyway, so they might as well do whatever the hell they want.

[cali]

5. It is. I have a hard knot in my stomach

I think that a sizable number of them are more than willing to drive us over the brink. I just hope they can't do it.

[AngryOldDem]

7. I think everyone is whistling past the graveyard on this.

We would like to hope that saner heads will prevail here and the right thing will be done -- the prudent thing.

But there are no guarantees that the House will go along with any Senate plan. If history holds, it won't. Cruz and his merry band of idiots have Boehner by the shorts, and they can do whatever they want.

I don't like the idea of just putting this off again until January and February, either. We will go through the same damn thing all over again. I'm tired of having my retirement savings (and my economic life, for that matter) held hostage over this shit, which should be a no-brainer to fix.

At the end of the day, what this all boils down to is this: There is an African-American in the White House, and a handful of racist knuckle-draggers don't like it. It has been this attitude that has been driving this fiasco. Not spending, not Obamacare -- just pure hatred of one man.

The Tea Party's "so what" attitude toward the debt ceiling could ruin this country, and impact the world for decades. Over what? For what? Pure, unadulterated hate.

There. I said it.

Right now, I'm fully prepared to open any news site this afternoon and read that this plan has also been killed, and it's almost guaranteed we will hit the ceiling on Thursday.

[LuvNewcastle]

9. I'm sick of it too, and I think about 75% of the country is as well.

If the Democrats take Congress in the next election, I hope they'll bring back that Gephardt rule, which automatically raised the ceiling when the budget was passed. It really needs to be an amendment. No one in government should have the power to bring down the whole economy, especially a small minority in one house of Congress. I wish the President could throw people in jail for using this as a bargaining chip.

[PeteSelman]

6. If that fucking scumbag Cruz does not give his consent it doesn't matter.

They need unanimous consent to avoid thirty hours of debate on the bill and and then another thirty hours after cloture. Cruz or Lee or Paul or any of the mentally deranged can single handedly push the country into default and there's nothing that can be done about it. Nothing at all.

[cali]

8. right. I just read that. thanks for posting. fucking scumbag Cruz

could derail the whole thing.

time to change the senate rules? Is that possible?

[PeteSelman]

10. From what I read, no.

They can't do anything at all about it. The only hope is that the mouthbreathers in the right wing base don't know about these rules and he can pretend to have fought til the end. If they hold him to this, he'll do it. Hell, he may do it anyway, this jerkoff is a true believer.

It's unbelievable that one man can destroy the world economy on his own.

[cali]

12. thanks for the answer, Pete. I think.

[PeteSelman]

14. Pretty scary.

Sorry about that.

[zazen]

11. Cruz aided the destruction of federal property at a federal site

How is that Cruz, Palin, Larry Klayman, and 200? other people could toss barricades and trespass onto federal property (they do, after all, have to follow rules about visitation, right?), or stand by and watch it and encourage it through speeches, and not be arrested? We have film footage of it.

If this happened at the NC State Legislature by Moral Monday protestors, hundreds would be in jail and the charges wouldn't be thrown out. In major cities Occupy protestors were pepper sprayed and tased, and yet these people were ignored and go free.

Why can he not be arrested for abetting the destruction of federal property, for participating in a rally calling for an uprising (threats), etc?

Of course we he won't be arrested, though this one man might might trigger a global depression, wiping out the savings of millions and contribute to the deaths of thousands through cut benefit.

No one will play hardball with these f--ckers.

Cruz is the madman that will take us into Handmaid's Tale territory. We must give them no quarter. The Democratic leadership has consistently underestimated the intentions of their opponents, when it's blatantly obvious to the rest of us.

God help us all.