Bloomberg News: House Republican leaders are giving up efforts to couple a U.S. debt-limit increase with provisions backing the Keystone XL pipeline or repealing an insurance-risk provision in Obamacare, two party leadership aides said.That sound you hear is thousands of wingnuts and ‘baggers shouting, “RiNO!” in unison. It’s an election year and Republicans have a choice: they can appeal to the average voter who doesn’t like continual hostage-taking and forced crises or they can pander to the always-angry base and bring government to a grinding halt — again — to pick a fight they can’t possibly hope to win.
House leaders lack enough Republican support for either option, and they are looking at other possible conditions to attach to an increase in the debt limit, said the aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.
One option being discussed by some Republicans is raising the debt ceiling without conditions, relying mostly on Democratic votes.
And so House GOP throws the ‘baggers under the bus.
[photo via Wikimedia Commons]
