QOTD: A depressed maverick

QOTD: A depressed maverick

by digby

I think McCain sees the dynamic correctly here. The public is not going to see this as an argument between the Republicans and the Democrats:

“The American people did not give us majority to have a fight between House and Senate Republicans,” McCain said, referring to Republicans taking control of both the House and Senate after November’s congressional elections. “They want things done. You cannot cut funding from the Department of Homeland Security. We need to sit down and work this thing out.”

Boehner’s holding fast. But as I wrote yesterday, this is a very dicey proposition for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is what McCain says above: Republicans cannot shutter the Department of Homeland Security and maintain one of their most cherished conceits as the manly defenders of all we hold dear. McCain knows that and so does Mitch McConnell who is so far unwilling to nuke the filibuster just so the House Tea Party can poke President Obama in the eye. These Senate Republicans understand that the GOP is widely understood to be the government shutdown artists and the public is not going to blame the Senate Democrats for doing it no matter how much they try to blame them for it. They have a well-deserved reputation for pulling this stunt.

Shutting down Homeland Security is taking it to a new level however, going after a big Republican constituency (national police personnel along with ex-military and flag waving patriots) at a time when foreign policy and national security are at the top of the agenda. Very risky business for them.

Watch the GOP presidential candidates over the next week or so and we’ll probably see whether the establishment is just doing a kabuki dance or if they’re really nervous.

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