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Boehner’s New Offer Promises That Pointless Standoff Will Go On For Weeks

The Hill reports on House Republicans’ new offer: House Republican leaders will offer President Obama a six-week extension of the nation’s debt limit that would not end the government shutdown now in its 10th day. Jonathan Chait sees the proposed short-term debt ceiling increase as Boehner’s way of temporarily avoiding confrontation with different interests within […]

The Hill reports on House Republicans’ new offer:

House Republican leaders will offer President Obama a six-week extension of the nation’s debt limit that would not end the government shutdown now in its 10th day.

Jonathan Chait sees the proposed short-term debt ceiling increase as Boehner’s way of temporarily avoiding confrontation with different interests within his party while not resolving anything:

Business is freaked out and will be furious with him if he triggers a default. So he’s raising the debt ceiling for long enough to get them off his back. And tea-partiers will be furious if he abandons their quest to defund Obamacare by shutting down the government. So he’s leaving that part in place.

Is there a plausible strategic logic to this plan? None that I can see.

A short-term increase in the debt ceiling would be better than not having one, but that’s not saying a lot. It just delays a showdown until next month, and then we will be in much the same position as we are now. While it does suggest that House Republican leaders won’t risk default when push comes to shove, it also suggests that they won’t rule out flirting with doing so. The message this sends is not all that reassuring: “We won’t toy around with the risk of default in October, but we may do so in November. Happy Thanksgiving!” Meanwhile, in order to get enough Republican support for this temporary reprieve on the debt ceiling, the House GOP will persist in trying something that has already completely failed so that it can continue to make itself even more intensely disliked nationwide. On the other hand, it could give Republicans enough time to realize how deep a hole they are now in, and that could persuade enough of them to stop digging. Either way, it more or less guarantees that some part of this pointless standoff will continue for at least several more weeks to come.

Update: Jonathan Strong has more on Boehner’s decision:

When the decision came down from Boehner Wednesday night to embrace the short-term debt ceiling increase, some Republicans close to leadership were furious. “Death Star is blowing up,” deadpanned one Republican member, calling it the [Erick] “Erickson plan.”

It’s a fitting name, since it is more or less what Erickson has been demanding for the last few days, and he seems pleased with it.

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