House Republicans draw ire from own party, WSJ editorial page

When the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page excoriates House Republicans, you know it's serious.

That's just what happened recently when House Republicans rejected a heavily bipartisan bill to extend payroll tax cuts to $160 million Americans. The Senate voted 89-10 to pass the two-month extension (all but seven Republicans voted in favor), with the idea being to negotiate another one after the holidays.

Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell negotiated that deal with Senate Democrats, who with Obama, agreed to a number of Republican ideas. Everyone seemed to think McConnell had worked with his friend Speaker John Boehner fashioning a Senate bill that would pass the House.

No so. And no one seems to know how the confusion or debacle occurred. My inside Washington sources tell me even if the Senate agreed to a conference committee now, procedural rules call for a minimum 90 hours of debate, something that would be tough to do before Jan. 1.

Those same sources also point to Tea Party Republicans again defying the leadership with Boehner's speakership on the line.

CBS News headlined the story: "House GOP takes a political beating in payroll tax fight."

Here's the story that quotes The Wall Street Journal editorial page, numerous other Republican Senators who I have never seen be this critical of their own party.

CBS story

Some samples from the Journal editorial.

"Given how [Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell] and House Speaker John Boehner have handled the payroll tax debate, we wonder if they might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins in earnest."


"The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play."

And here are quotes from the CBS story from Republicans about their own House leadership.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., said "now is not the time for drawing lines in the sand," while Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the ongoing fight is "harming the Republican party" and "harming the view, if it's possible anymore, of the American people about Congress."

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said there was "no reason" for House Republicans to keep up their fight, adding that "what is playing out in Washington, D.C. this week is about political leverage, not about what's good for the American people."

I'm not sure you can be more damning than that of part of your own party.


More from the Journal editorial: (full editorial)

"But now Republicans are drowning out that victory in the sounds of their circular firing squad. Already four GOP Senators have rejected the House position, and the political rout will only get worse"

"The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play."

Journal's advice: (which I agree with)

"At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly. Then go home and return in January with a united House-Senate strategy that forces Democrats to make specific policy choices that highlight the differences between the parties on spending, taxes and regulation."