There has been a lot of publicity today about John Boehner's latest proposal. However, this is not the only plan being considered by the Republican Party. According to The Washington Post, Senate Republicans, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, are considering an alternative plan. Unlike the House Republican Plan, the Senate Republican Plan would both increase the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown. The extension in the Senate Republican plan would last up to three months.
However, this plan, like the House plan, would include significant concessions from Democrats. According to The Washington Post:
Senate Democrats were intrigued by Collins’ proposal, but unhappy with its demand for Democratic concessions. Those include repeal of a tax on medical devices needed to fund the new health care initiative and new income verification procedures for people who receive tax subsidies to buy health insurance on the law’s new exchanges.
In addition, Collins’ proposal would maintain deep cuts known as the sequester through at least March. Though it would grant agencies flexibility to decide where the cuts would fall, the sequester remains a red flag for the White House and many Democrats, who want to restore funding for domestic programs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
We really need to keep our eye on this. I suspect that the Senate Republicans will spin the Senate Plan as a significant concession by them. They will then pressure the Senate Democrats to go along with it. If the Senate Democrats don't go along with Collins' plan, I suspect that the Republicans will then attempt to get the public and the press to blame the Senate Democrats for failing to compromise. The fact that Senator Collins is leading this effort means that we can expect the mainstream media to indicate that this plan is a reasonable compromise.
I also suspect that if the Senate Democrats go along with the Senate Republican Plan, that we will face a competing plan in the House that is even more to the House Republicans' liking. A conference committee would then have to resolve the differences between the Senate Republican Plan and the House Republican Plan.
We need to make sure that the Democrats are not put in a position where the negotiations between the two houses of Congress consist of negotiations between two Republican Plans. Senator Reid should immediately put to a vote his own plan. And if Senator Reid's plan is filibustered by the Republicans, he should invoke the nuclear option so that a Democratic plan can pass with a simple majority. This would be the starting point for any negotiations with House Republicans. A plan created by Senate Republicans should not be the starting point for negotiations with House Republicans. And unless we pay attention and object, I suspect that this is where we will end up.
We won the last election. We should continue to act like it.