Obama reassures Eric Cantor that there will be pie.
Apparently, he kept interrupting Obama to bring up something Obama had already said no to three times, namely a short term increase in the ceiling to keep things going. (It's interesting that the closer we get to the deadline, the more the advantage seems to shift to Obama. The GOP are clearly piddling their shorts.)
Obama ended the meeting and hurt Eric Cantor's fee-fees. The response of Democratic leaders has been telling:
Schumer: "If Eric Cantor decides everything, I fear we'll be in default."
Reid: "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has shown he shouldn't be at the table and Republicans agree he shouldn't be at the table."
This tells me that the Democratic team has focused on Cantor as the obstacle to getting a deal done. As the spokesman for the Teatards, he holds a veto power over the deal. If they get him to cave, presumably they get a deal done.
With the markets increasing the pressure on these children to get a deal done, it will be interesting to see what happens next. Do we get an "clean" extension? A set of deficit reduction measures in the midst of a recession? A "grand bargain" on both deficits and entitlements?
Again, this would be entertaining if so much wasn't at stake. Bob Woodward will need to channel Shakespeare for his next book.
UPDATE: Fair and balanced: "He lost a lot of credibility when he walked away from the table … It was childish," said one House Republican with close ties to Cantor who spoke on condition of anonymity to preserve their friendship. "This is his time to perform."
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