GOP Implosion

I wish I could say that I take joy in what appears to be Boehner's failure to rally his troops. While I certainly don't like his plan, it's tragic on such a serious matter that after all this wrangling and time-sucking go-it-alone strategy he couldn't even pull his caucus together.

I just hope he comes to his senses and realizes that if he goes just a couple of steps towards the middle, he can get most of what he's angling for right now and add plenty of democrats on board.

For the tea partiers, their "all or nothing" idea translates into their unwillingness to accept a plan proposed by Harry Reid (and supported by Obama) to cut spending without tax increases while restricting an increase in the debt ceiling to a level below that of the spending cut level. One would think the GOP would see this, even when compared to the Boehner plan, as something more aligned with their ideas than simply doing nothing at all. One would think that they would embrace the idea that the good is not the enemy of the better.

But, hell, they can't even do that. Pitiful.

And if Obama ends up embracing Bowles-Simpson (which I think he will, in the end, especially if he's re-elected), he'll simply box Tea Partiers into a corner.

The conservative invective and hatred towards Obama is such that Obama could propose a Cut/Cap/Balance plan and the anti-Obama rabid faction of the Tea Party GOP still wouldn't support him.

Well ... the people are tuning in and what they are seeing of the House GOP is a mess of dysfunction and right wing obstructionist radicalism.

Ironically, the Tea Party faction does not want to govern in the manner specifically designed by our founding fathers -- a manner that is predicated upon compromise with its multiple layers of checks, balances, and inclusion of minority representation in the process of governing.

Even if tomorrow Boehner manages to salvage something, even if he brings forth a measure more representative of the Tea Party radicals, the damage to his leadership and to the House GOP caucus and its governing credibility is done.