Debt Talks Reflect Tensions Between GOP Leaders
From The Wall Street Journal:
Recent twists in negotiations over the federal debt ceiling have brought new attention to a long-running bit of intrigue among Republican leaders: The presumed rivalry between House Speaker John Boehner and his top deputy, Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Messrs. Boehner and Cantor have taken contrasting roles in the public sparring, with Mr. Boehner at times advocating a sweeping deal and Mr. Cantor pushing a more limited package of trade-offs.
Republicans, who control the House, refuse to raise the government's borrowing limit without adopting spending cuts that could help trim the deficit. Democrats, wary of cuts to entitlement and other programs, want a deal that includes more tax revenue.
At a White House meeting Thursday, Mr. Boehner spoke in favor of a broad deal while Mr. Cantor opposed it. At a session with Democrats and Mr. Obama on Sunday, Mr. Cantor spoke at length about why a larger package, which would include many tax increases, was unacceptable, as Mr. Boehner, while agreeing, said little, according to people briefed on the meeting.
Their differences have affected the course of deficit talks, with Mr. Cantor's reluctance to embrace tax increases diminishing Mr. Boehner's leeway to negotiate with the White House. They also figure to remain important in the effort to get a deficit deal through Congress, because Mr. Cantor's attitude will help determine whether any compromise can win enough support among GOP troops in the House to assure passage.
The differences have also fueled long-running talk about Mr. Cantor's ambition to be the next House speaker—something even Mr. Boehner has joked about in public.
Mr. Boehner, 61 years old, has long been known as a deal-maker who can work with Democrats. Mr. Cantor, 48, is a rising star, seen by colleagues as hard-charging and ambitious, closely attuned to the anti-tax passions of the Republican rank-and-file.
After Mr. Boehner held an undisclosed meeting with President Barack Obama last month, Mr. Cantor walked out of talks led by Vice President Joe Biden, saying he couldn't accept Democrats' tax demands. Many Republicans believe Mr. Cantor was angered by the Boehner-Obama meeting, though his office denies that.
Relations between the two have sometimes seemed distant: Mr. Boehner rated only passing references in the manifesto published last year by Mr. Cantor and two young GOP colleagues. During talks to avoid a government shutdown earlier this year, Mr. Cantor, whose post makes him the No. 2 House Republican, at one point appeared to be out of the loop on details of the talks.
The differing approaches haven't been lost on Republicans, though some say it works to the party's benefit to have one leader adopting a more flexible posture in negotiations and a second enforcing the party line.
"Boehner doesn't want to be speaker for 100 years, and Cantor wants to be speaker as soon as he can," said Rich Galen, a former GOP House leadership aide. "Cantor may be a little more forceful than what he thinks is necessary to get a deal done. He provides protection to Boehner's right, so Boehner can negotiate with the White House."
In part, the differences are generational. Mr. Boehner was elected in 1990, and has cooperated with Democrats, for example on the No Child Left Behind education law. Mr. Cantor has sought to align himself in many ways with the GOP freshmen who came to Congress last November.
The two leaders say their positions are identical.
"I think we are on the same page," Mr. Cantor said. "I know you all love to write the soap opera here. And it is just that. It is something that I think belittles the real question here, and that is the difference between the sides and the fact that Barack Obama wants to raise taxes and Republicans don't."
When similar questions arose during last spring's debate over a potential government shutdown, Mr. Boehner also stressed the two men's compatibility.
"There's a lot of people who want to write things about Eric and I and the jostling for power," Mr. Boehner told Fox News. "It's nonsense. Eric and I have a wonderful relationship. We understand each other."
Mr. Obama has gone out of his way to praise Mr. Boehner as a negotiating partner. That itself might generate suspicion in some quarters of the GOP, especially since the president has contrasted Mr. Boehner's approach with the anti-tax sentiments that brought the Republicans to power.
"He's a good man who wants to do right by the country," Mr. Obama said. "The politics that swept him into the speakership were good for a midterm election; they're tough for governing."
Recent twists in negotiations over the federal debt ceiling have brought new attention to a long-running bit of intrigue among Republican leaders: The presumed rivalry between House Speaker John Boehner and his top deputy, Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Messrs. Boehner and Cantor have taken contrasting roles in the public sparring, with Mr. Boehner at times advocating a sweeping deal and Mr. Cantor pushing a more limited package of trade-offs.
Republicans, who control the House, refuse to raise the government's borrowing limit without adopting spending cuts that could help trim the deficit. Democrats, wary of cuts to entitlement and other programs, want a deal that includes more tax revenue.
At a White House meeting Thursday, Mr. Boehner spoke in favor of a broad deal while Mr. Cantor opposed it. At a session with Democrats and Mr. Obama on Sunday, Mr. Cantor spoke at length about why a larger package, which would include many tax increases, was unacceptable, as Mr. Boehner, while agreeing, said little, according to people briefed on the meeting.
Their differences have affected the course of deficit talks, with Mr. Cantor's reluctance to embrace tax increases diminishing Mr. Boehner's leeway to negotiate with the White House. They also figure to remain important in the effort to get a deficit deal through Congress, because Mr. Cantor's attitude will help determine whether any compromise can win enough support among GOP troops in the House to assure passage.
The differences have also fueled long-running talk about Mr. Cantor's ambition to be the next House speaker—something even Mr. Boehner has joked about in public.
Mr. Boehner, 61 years old, has long been known as a deal-maker who can work with Democrats. Mr. Cantor, 48, is a rising star, seen by colleagues as hard-charging and ambitious, closely attuned to the anti-tax passions of the Republican rank-and-file.
After Mr. Boehner held an undisclosed meeting with President Barack Obama last month, Mr. Cantor walked out of talks led by Vice President Joe Biden, saying he couldn't accept Democrats' tax demands. Many Republicans believe Mr. Cantor was angered by the Boehner-Obama meeting, though his office denies that.
Relations between the two have sometimes seemed distant: Mr. Boehner rated only passing references in the manifesto published last year by Mr. Cantor and two young GOP colleagues. During talks to avoid a government shutdown earlier this year, Mr. Cantor, whose post makes him the No. 2 House Republican, at one point appeared to be out of the loop on details of the talks.
The differing approaches haven't been lost on Republicans, though some say it works to the party's benefit to have one leader adopting a more flexible posture in negotiations and a second enforcing the party line.
"Boehner doesn't want to be speaker for 100 years, and Cantor wants to be speaker as soon as he can," said Rich Galen, a former GOP House leadership aide. "Cantor may be a little more forceful than what he thinks is necessary to get a deal done. He provides protection to Boehner's right, so Boehner can negotiate with the White House."
In part, the differences are generational. Mr. Boehner was elected in 1990, and has cooperated with Democrats, for example on the No Child Left Behind education law. Mr. Cantor has sought to align himself in many ways with the GOP freshmen who came to Congress last November.
The two leaders say their positions are identical.
"I think we are on the same page," Mr. Cantor said. "I know you all love to write the soap opera here. And it is just that. It is something that I think belittles the real question here, and that is the difference between the sides and the fact that Barack Obama wants to raise taxes and Republicans don't."
When similar questions arose during last spring's debate over a potential government shutdown, Mr. Boehner also stressed the two men's compatibility.
"There's a lot of people who want to write things about Eric and I and the jostling for power," Mr. Boehner told Fox News. "It's nonsense. Eric and I have a wonderful relationship. We understand each other."
Mr. Obama has gone out of his way to praise Mr. Boehner as a negotiating partner. That itself might generate suspicion in some quarters of the GOP, especially since the president has contrasted Mr. Boehner's approach with the anti-tax sentiments that brought the Republicans to power.
"He's a good man who wants to do right by the country," Mr. Obama said. "The politics that swept him into the speakership were good for a midterm election; they're tough for governing."
posted by Sid Cottingham | 5:05 AM
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