I complained in the Lunch Buffet post that I was getting weary with having to pay so much attention to John Boehner’s feelings this week. But as this graph nestled in a Politico update on the fiscal maneuvering suggests, it may be unavoidable:
House Republicans want to move quickly so they can remain the focus of attention. If Senate Republicans craft a deal, there’s concern it would pose a problem for Boehner and blunt his ability to end the fiscal showdown on his terms. The president has long been trying to woo Republican senators, holding open-ended budget talks throughout the year, though those discussions were broken off in August over a lack of progress.
I guess this means Boehner is afraid that if he is not large and in charge in the endgame of this whole fiasco, it will show his intra-party enemies weakness that could later cost him his gavel. Otherwise, it just means the man craves attention and credit, and is jealous of those camera-hogging senators, and he’s far too much of a statesman for such petty motives, isn’t he?
