Will Boehner go
Boom?
In less than 48 hours the
government will be shutting its doors and closing for business unless a
continuing resolution can be reached. While the Senate passed its own version
of a continuing resolution to keep the government running, the question remains,
how far is Boehner willing to go?
What’s most interesting about
the conundrum Boehner is facing is that he must not only grapple with President
Obama and the Democrats, but he must also please the conservatives in his
party. Boehner and the Republicans has made it known that they will not allow for
The Affordable Health Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare,” to remain the
way it is today. While the Senate took out the defunding of Obamacare out of
the legislation it sent back to the House, Boehner chose to forward a measure
that would delay the implementation of Obamacare for a year, as well as repeal
a medical device tax. (1) By making it
known that he won’t agree to Obamacare remaining the same, he is pleasing his
own party and the hard line conservatives by fighting for what they believe to
be the biggest issue of the budget debates. He is also sticking it to the
Democrats by continuing to keep his stance of making the delay or repeal of
Obamacare non-negotiable.
In terms of a negotiation
standpoint, Boehner is leaving the Democrats with very little room to negotiate
with the Republicans, because the Democrats have also drawn a line in the sand
by making it known that they will not vote for any resolution to fund the
government that includes a provision tied to Obamacare. However, as we approach
the deadline, we must also keep in mind that Boehner’s job as Speaker of The
House is on the line as well. If Boehner relents and allows a continuing
resolution to be passed that doesn’t delay or strip Obamacare, the Democrats
will be perceived as winners. This will not only damage the Republicans as the
mid-term elections approach, as it will generate some much needed momentum for
the Democrats, it will all but end Boehner’s term as The Speaker of the House,
as he will have been perceived to have “given in” to President Obama by the
hard line conservatives. If Boehner doesn’t give in and the government shuts
down, the Republican’s could be blamed by the people for not being willing to
negotiate with the Democrats and for shutting down its governmental doors. This,
too, could prove fatal to the Republican Party. It seems as if the only way the
Republicans can win is if a shutdown leads to the Democrats blinking first and
allow Obamacare to be defunded or delayed. (2)
We know that the Republicans
and Democrats have drawn lines in the sand, and the stakes could not be higher
for either side. As history has shown, deadlines spur action. What action or
inaction that is though, remains to be seen. Will certainly find out within the
next 48 hours.
