WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — When Republicans rolled through the heavily guarded gates of the Kingsmill resort here Wednesday for a three-day annual Republican retreat, it was under a cloud of tension and infighting that had pitted House Speaker John Boehner against stubborn conservatives throughout the 112th Congress.By the time the retreat ended, Republicans across the spectrum of conservatism had apparently come to an agreement on the most polarizing immediate fight that awaits them: the debt ceiling.How was the détente, however temporary, reached? It depends on which side is doing the spinning.One aide to a conservative member compared the fight between Boehner and Congressional conservatives with the Biblical rivalry between David and King Saul. According to the Old Testament, Saul (in this analogy, Boehner) was threatened by divinely-selected David (the conservatives), and tried repeatedly to kill him. Then, one night, David sneaked into Saul's cave while he was sleeping, cut off a piece of his robe, and showed it to the King the next day to prove he had the upper hand."Saul saw that David could have killed him, and he was humbled by it," the aide said, suggesting Boehner has recognized the power of the conservatives in his conference.That may be wishful thinking on the conservatives' part, but the Republican proposal — hashed out between Boehner and conservatives over the course of the three-day retreat — to extend the debt limit for an additional three months seems to indicate some compromise on both sides.
first these persons of ill repute are trying to hold hostage you and the gov't and the advancement of the country but stripping even more of your well being and livelihood and they dare to compare their clandestine closed door plan to further disenfranchise you to the Bible and Saul and David, another evangelical blasphemy from the right wing God Complex.
The plan does not include spending cuts — which has always been a major sticking point for Boehner's conference. Rather, Republicans agreed to include language requiring the Senate to pass a budget and language that would withhold lawmakers' pay if they do not. It is far from clear whether that provision is even remotely constitutional, and the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, but it's still a victory for Boehner, no matter how slight.
is folding to popular pressure to be appluaded especially when it's your freakin' job? sorry no cigar
