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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been awfully quiet the last few days, as House Republicans rebel against the bipartisan payroll-tax-cut compromise he negotiated and helped pass last weekend. This morning that changed.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the House and Senate should meet in Washington to extend the payroll tax set to expire Dec. 31.
With the clock ticking, McConnell says the House should pass a short-term extension that gives 160 million Americans certainty that their taxes will not rise Jan. 1. The Kentucky Republican also called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to convene negotiators on the longer-term extension that House Republicans are demanding.
In a statement, the Senate Minority Leader argued, “House Republicans sensibly want greater certainty about the duration of these provisions, while Senate Democrats want more time to negotiate the terms. These goals are not mutually exclusive. We can and should do both.”
As a practical matter, McConnell was throwing his support to the same proposal Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) offered House GOP leaders earlier in the week — after the House approves the Senate-approved bipartisan compromise, senators can start the next round of negotiations over a year-long extension.
The timing of McConnell’s announcement was rather remarkable. House Republican leaders, including Speaker Boehner, had just wrapped up a press conference on the Hill, telling reporters that the House GOP caucus won’t give in, won’t pass the temporary extension, and won’t do anything until a conference committee convenes (the conference committee would invariably kill the tax cut).
McConnell, almost immediately after Boehner wrapped up his remarks, cut the legs out from underneath the House GOP leadership and sided with Harry Reid’s proposed solution.
I honestly can’t remember the last time we saw a Senate Republican leader and a House Republican leader this far apart on a high-profile policy dispute. Everything about McConnell’s new statement appears intended to smack Boehner down, just as the Speaker tries to find his footing.
It’s remarkable, and further isolates the radicalized House GOP caucus.
There are 9 days, 12 hours, and 50 minutes left on the clock.
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theAmericanist on December 22, 2011 11:16 AM:
(snicker) Sounds remarkably like Xun-Ze was right, doesn't it? Leave 'em a way out.
McConnell wants to create a Republican majority in the Senate. Boehner wants to stay the Speaker of a Republican-controlled House. The more those rewuire mutually exclusive political strategies, the better off the good guys are, not only in House and Senate races, but also in the Presidential campaign.
MattF on December 22, 2011 11:20 AM:
Once upon a time, the Senate was the place where individualistic legislative prima donnas held sway and did what they damn well felt like doing at their own pace-- while the House was the place where the dutiful and obedient masses did the bidding of their leaders on a pre-determined schedule. Will wonders never cease?
Holmes on December 22, 2011 11:21 AM:
The rats are jumping ship.
stormskies on December 22, 2011 11:22 AM:
Since we all know what an evil corporate buffoon McConnell actually is, all the obstructionism that he has purposefully created in order to defeat Obama, just think how extreme the situation is, the consequences of, the Reiglicans now find themselves in that has lead to McConnell has just done ..........
ComradeAnon on December 22, 2011 11:23 AM:
I remain unconvinced that McConnell is helping the Dems position. He's just thinking a little more long term and feels that the bigger fight is down the road a couple of months. That's when we'll see him put more cards on the table.
allamr18 on December 22, 2011 11:23 AM:
Mm you guys didnt post all of the quote, like the part where he said The People have suffered enough under Obamas failed policy. Even in defeat hes an ungracious snide petty man
c u n d gulag on December 22, 2011 11:28 AM:
Jeez, Boner, '"orange" you sorry now?'
You've really got to think about how far you've gone out on a limb when Mitch "Yertle, the Anti-gay, Gay Turtle" McConnell suddenly becomes the voice of reason.
Ok, pass the popcorn - NOW!!!
Stevio on December 22, 2011 11:33 AM:
I say screw Bitch McConnell.
Knowing his asshole and mouth were switched at birth should be a certain sign that he is talking out of the wrong one often.
My vote is for Boehner die a thousand deaths and have him scurry across the House carpet on his pant-less ass like a dog with an itchy butt...give him something to really cry about.
Merry Christmas Mr. Speaker.
Anonymous on December 22, 2011 12:00 PM:
FOOD FIGHT!!!
Sgt. Gym Bunny on December 22, 2011 12:08 PM:
Just who, exactly, is running the GOP these days? Does that Power-That-Be now regret inviting the far-right TP crazies into Congress? The GOP establishment must at least want Boehner & Co. to just shut the hell up and pass the damn bill. They can easily concede defeat (or not), vow to make a glorious comeback, slink away quietly and then pretend this little legislative snafu never happened--or pretend that they really won, MSM will just eat up whatever the GOP says. This going down in flames business is entirely superfluous. Which of their many consituents would really remember this as a GOP defeat?
Mitch on December 22, 2011 12:19 PM:
McConnell is many things: craven, sneaky, greedy and manipulative; but he is not stupid. My guess is that he's noticed how the entire nation started to notice the Republican's vile obstructionism, so he's doing this to score some points and seem reasonable.
Given the state of the media, the GOP will even try to spend this to make them seem like the reasonable ones.
SYSPROG on December 22, 2011 12:33 PM:
YES to Mitch and ComradeAnon...McConnell is a drone with SOME card up his sleeve. What I find amazing is if the GOP VOTERS ever thought that after these bozos won the legislative branch they would be taken care of, they should be watching how fast the 'rats' turn on each other. Because that's what's gonna happen to YOU!
zandru on December 22, 2011 12:36 PM:
"Everything about McConnell’s new statement appears intended to smack Boehner down"
Oh why can't the President reach out and he'p that po' man?
(heh, heh, heh)
snowbird42 on December 22, 2011 12:38 PM:
Its a shame Pres Obama has to stay home while the idiots fight.
T2 on December 22, 2011 12:41 PM:
McConnman's full statement manages to stick a "Obama is a Failure" sentence or two in there. There is no mistaking that both McConnman and Boner are both liars and jerks. But Boner has pulled the rug out from under McConnman for the last time, it seems.
Obama will have a chance to stick his knife in both of them later today.....and I hope he does.
OKDem on December 22, 2011 1:15 PM:
Boehner has now locked down the title of weakest Speaker, Post-Civil War.
Honestly, no speaker in modern times has been as ineffectual and held in contempt by his caucus. Even Gingrich and Hasert on their way out had more respect and control than Boehner.
He has gone from enbattled to just sleeping in the gutter pathetic.
DisgustedWithItAll on December 22, 2011 2:07 PM:
No to any dumbass commission. Republicans are just going to try and throw every unrelated item on their wish list in order to agree on the payroll tax vacation, and then when Democrats don't agree, the pathetic media will dutifully report both sides at fault again.
And phuck Mitch McConnell. Serious asshole.
(And phuck Captcha, too.)
June on December 22, 2011 3:59 PM:
@DisgustedWithItAll nails it for me. Nothing to add - except I notice Republicans are trying to "create reality" again with their crazy mantra that insists the many, many accomplishments of this president never happened.