Bachmann naturally opposes it, which, given the political realities for T-Paw in Iowa, means he has to oppose it too — albeit not before hedging earlier today. His statement tonight:
“President Obama has run up a dangerous amount of debt since taking office, and I greatly appreciate Speaker Boehner for courageously leading the fight to stop him from running up even more. Speaker Boehner has now put forth two plans; that would be exactly two plans more than what the President has offered. The debt limit is a line in the sand where Republicans can force the tough decisions to fix our nation’s finances, and taxpayers cannot afford for us to back down now. I am for the plan that will cut spending, cap it, and pass a balanced budget amendment, but unfortunately this latest bill does not accomplish that.”
Tea party box: Checked. As for Mitt, he’s been quite forthcoming about his shortlist of VP nominees. About Boehner’s plan, though? Not so much:
“Governor Romney thinks President Obama’s leadership has been an historic failure. He applauds Speaker Boehner for standing firm against raising taxes when our nation can least afford them,” says Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Romney, in a statement to National Review Online.
Why would a guy who’s willing to snub tea partiers by doubling down on RomneyCare and endorsing ethanol subsidies suddenly get cold feet about backing Boehner’s plan? He’s got cover from Allen West and Paul Ryan on that. Alternatively, if he feels he needs to build a little cred with fiscal conservatives, why not unload on Boehner and hold the line on Cut, Cap, and Balance? He’s got cover from DeMint and Rand Paul on that and his establishment fans won’t abandon him over one well-timed pander to the base. Ironically, one of the reasons Romney took the positions he did on R-Care and ethanol is because he’s (rightly) sensitive to perceptions that he’ll say anything to get elected. Defending an unpopular stance is meant to signal that he does have core beliefs and is willing to stand firm on them … except, I guess, when it comes to fast-moving legislative battles that conservatives are keenly interested in. Huh.
Don’t look now but, according to Nate Silver’s new number-crunch, Rick Perry’s hot on his heels in the GOP race — but only if Palin and Giuliani run. Hmmmm.
Update: Guess who just landed the coveted George Voinovich endorsement. Oh yeah.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member