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Opinions/Editorials Title: The Tea Party Taliban Ten years ago, the Taliban in Afghanistan destroyed two gigantic figures of Buddha, carved into a hillside 18 centuries before. The world was aghast at this barbarian act taken in the name of religious purity. But was powerless to stop it. We now have a group of U.S. politicians seeking political purity, who seem to have much in common with the Taliban. They are tea party members; and because of blind adherence to smaller government, they seem intent on risking destroying what American political leaders have constructed in more than two centuries of hard, often painful work. Like the Taliban, they see compromise as an unacceptable alternative. As part of the House Republican majority, these uncompromising tea party members present an enormous challenge to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) as he seeks to reach a compromise which can avert an unprecedented U.S. default on Aug. 2. What can the speaker to do in the days ahead and how does he survive as House leader? If the country defaults, Boehner is probably toast. The question is how he avoids a default and still survives in a fractured conference. I served in Congress with Boehner for 14 years, and I know him to be an honorable man who wants to legislate in a constructive, though conservative way. Here are his options: (1) Convince enough of the tea party members to support a plan that gives them 90 percent of what they set out to achieve – no new taxes and significant budget cuts. He has the opportunity to do this when his plan comes up for a vote in the House and when something comes back from the Senate in the form of a compromise. Boehner must simply lay his speakership on the line — as Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill and Newt Gingrich were willing to do — by telling his caucus that he must have their vote if he is to be able to continue serving as their leader. (2) Reach out to House Democrats and form a bipartisan coalition — letting the extremes in both parties vote “no” on any final deal that comes back from the Senate. There will be a number of his own caucus who will resent cooperation with the Democrats. But the country will thank him. It is not too much to ask that true leaders rise above party on occasion, particularly when they have won agreement for much, if not all, of what their party is seeking. (3) As a part of No. 2, Boehner must commit to help fellow Republican members who vote with him when they are challenged from the right in their own primaries next year because of this vote. If he fails to do this, the tea party may make him irrelevant if the Republicans retain control of the House in the next election. He might be replaced as speaker – or he could be Speaker in name only, with no real authority. It is impossible to know how this drama could play out in the days ahead. But President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are correct that any extension of the debt ceiling should run through the presidential election rather than just for six months. Continue Reading We don’t need to go through this drama again that soon. There is a path to compromise on this point. If Republicans agree to an extension through 2012, Democrats would be willing to agree to a bipartisan committee with a requirement to report back on further deficit reductions on a date certain, perhaps by the end of November. This compromise could include a requirement that the committee report be considered on a straight up or down vote — the same procedure as base closing recommendations. Congress could reject these recommendations. But at least members would go on the record here. To achieve this, Democrats might have to concede that any tax reform recommended by this committee be revenue neutral, meaning lower rates in exchange for eliminating enough deductions to pay for the lower rates, but not provide money to reduce the deficit. Granted, all this is hard. But there is no need to blow up centuries old religious statues — or two centuries of American government.
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