"Republicans Are Working Out the Terms of Their Surrender"

Defund Obamacare! 

Defund Obamacare! 

Defund Obamacare!

Poof...

Much ado about less than nothing.

Currently, the GOP has the lowest approval rating since party ratings began.

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Alan: The Republican Party inspires me with hope. Keep it up angry white guys! Don't change a thing. Piss off women. Piss off Hispanics. Piss off black people. Piss off the medically-disenfranchised. It beggars belief that you are not on the Democratic payroll. The only remaining question is whether your suicidalness will also manifest as homicidal urge to "take out" the United States. "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J. K. Galbraith

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By Jonathan Karl
@jonkarl
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Oct 11, 2013 

ANALYSIS:

Beware of irrational exuberance. Thursday night’s meeting between President Obama and House Republican leaders was clearly a breakthrough, but both sides are cautioning this morning that progress is fragile.

One player on the Republican side said he is “mildly optimistic” while a player on the Democratic side said there is “cause for optimism, but we’re not a whole lot closer to resolution.”

Here’s what’s happening: In addition to the short-term debt ceiling extension, the talks are focused on getting agreement on a short-term resolution to end the 11-day-old government shutdown and set up a framework for broader budget talks.

Republicans made it clear Thursday night that they need something in exchange for agreeing to end the shutdown. The president told them that he could, in principle, offer only something that he would normally offer through the course of regular budget negotiations; in other words, nothing on Obamacare, no major spending concessions.

Republicans are now working up their proposal.  It is unclear whether they will be able to come up with something the White House finds acceptable.

The bottom line: Republicans are working out the terms of their surrender and are attempting to get something for a standoff that has divided the party and cost dearly in the polls.