Jonathan Bernstein at Plum Line:
What this means is that all the players will be groping forward in a world of extreme uncertainty, right up to the deadline — and then, if a shutdown starts, beyond — on top of how hard it already is to craft a deal that can win a majority in the House, 60 votes in the Senate, and the president’s signature. Speaker Boehner, for example, doesn’t just have to worry about what Harry Reid and Obama are up to and whether their various public statements are bluffs. He also has to make that calculation for members of his own Republican conference who are threatening to withhold their support for an eventual deal. Even worse, it’s not clear that leaders of the various blocks within the conference can safely be counted on to deliver votes. So Boehner can’t just go to Tea Party Caucus leader Michele Bachmann and ask her if the Tea Partyers are on board for a deal. He has to go to each individual Member.That's useful advice. The countless pixels and inches of ink you read between now and April 8 when the latest continuing resolution expires should all be taken with huge chunks of sea salt. Posted by Linkmeister at March 30, 2011 01:03 PM | TrackBackAll of whom could be bluffing.