It's too late for that

Today I'm reminded of something I saw in the 2008 Republican Presidential Primary. My analysis has always been that GOP primary voters split between Romney and Huckabee - thus allowing McCain to come up through the middle. As one who's family is firmly entrenched in tea partyism, I can tell you that NONE of them had much fondness for McCain (especially after his duel in 2000 with their darling George W.) So McCain had a problem with his "base." Most primaries are the time when candidates pander to their base and then move towards the center in the general election. But McCain didn't have the right wing covered so he went "all in" with them by picking Sarah Palin as his running mate...thus destroying any hopes he had of appealing to independents. In other words, his move to solidify his base was too late.

We're seeing the same thing with Boehner today. He's not trusted by the tea party wing in the House. So here we are 5 days before the default deadline, and he's busy trying to shore up his credentials with them. Why else would he be holding a vote on a bill that has no chance of passing the Senate and one that the President has promised to veto? Because, as Boehner says:

“Barack Obama hates it, Harry Reid hates it, Nancy Pelosi hates it,” he said, naming off the Democratic leadership.

That's the kind of rhetoric he needs to get his rogue base on board. And its a clear sign of desperation.

Speaker Boehner, its WAY too late for that. As Steve Benen says:

The United States is in the midst of a crisis of Republicans’ making, and a potentially catastrophic deadline is just days away. We have a Republican-led House, a Democratic-led Senate, and a Democratic White House, so the nation will need a solution that can generate approval from all three institutions.

And as BooMan points out, Its About Our Country, Not John Boehner.