Murmurs that Eric Cantor may be undercutting Speaker John Boehner with his decision to drop out of debt ceiling negotiations are getting louder with the news that Cantor barely tipped his boss off on his plans. Boehner received the news only right before the press did, per the AP, leaving him to face reporters at his weekly press conference having barely processed the gamechanging move.The two Republican leaders sent mixed messages that morning, with Cantor suggesting in his initial statements that the talks were progressing well and that he needed Boehner’s approval to work out the toughest issues — i.e. taxes. But Boehner and other GOP leaders quickly retconned that explanation into Cantor quitting because the Republicans won’t raise taxes under any circumstances and Democrats aren’t taking their threats seriously.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=110208