Enter
elapsing. Not that a deal seemed
likely. As one source, positioned
to suss out the state of negotiations, told Jonathan Cohn, “The
breakdown is more extensive than
you’ve heard ... There is no discussion going on at all at this point.”
And Peter Weber cautions,
“Brace yourselves,” because everyone’s incentives seem to align
in such a way that makes a shutdown a fait accompli. President
Barack Obama thinks the shutdown will add political capital
to his coffers. Democrats believe
it will improve their position to
bargain on the budget. Tea party
Republicans believe the conventional wisdom — which holds
that the GOP’s brand loses out
in the event of a shutdown — is
wrong, and that they actually
have the leverage. The Hill reports that “at least 43 conservatives want the GOP leadership to
go for broke” over this.
Standing at the center of all
of this is House Speaker John
Boehner, who has, thus far, attempted to stave off a shutdown
on the grounds that it would be
bad for the GOP’s brand. But he
might be all out of options.
His most recent gambit was to
try to get the House to pass a con-
LOOKING FORWARD
IN ANGST
HUFFINGTON
09.22.13
tinuing resolution to keep the government functioning, with a sidecar resolution attached that would
defund Obamacare. The idea is to
give his caucus colleagu \