Politics: Afternoon Edition: Boehner puts the squeeze on House Republicans

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Thursday, July 28, 2011 HEADLINES Boehner puts the squeeze on House Republicans House GOP leaders continued their furious bid Thursday to win support for legislation designed to ease the nation's debt crisis, setting up a white-knuckle vote for the early evening, well after the nation's financial markets have closed. » Read full article THE FIX: A freshman star is born in debt debate Rep. Joe Walsh, a freshman GOP congressman from Illinois has propelled himself to the forefront of the debt debate by going to rhetorical heights few Republicans dare scale. » Read full article House Dems to Obama: Require contractors to disclose political donations More than 60 House Democrats have signed a letter asking President Obama to issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose political contributions. » Read full article Why Boehner may get the last laugh If his debt bill passes — and it remains an "if" not a "when" — it will be largely due to a major display of will by Boehner. » Read full article EZRA KLEIN: What the final deal is likely to look like The final bill will not pass through the House on a party-line vote. It will be a compromise proposal, and Boehner will lose far more than 23 of his members. He'll likely lose 50, 60, 80, even 100. » Read full article BEHIND THE GOVERNMENT SHOWDOWN Sign up for daily e-mail updates on the federal budget showdown QUOTE OF THE DAY Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) on the upcoming House vote on Boehner's debt plan.: "Put on your helmets. Buckle your chin straps. Run out on the field. Let's knock the [expletive] out of them" COMMENT OF THE DAY abbyandmollycats, on Kelly Blessing's "Facebook 'fans' deluge lawmakers on debt" story: I can't think of a better way for an entire populace to scream, 'Stop piddling around and do your jobs' to elected officials. Q&A DISCUSSIONS Washington Post congressional reporter Rosalind Helderman was online at 12 p.m. ET to discuss Republicans vs. Republicans on the debt ceiling: Q: I just don't see this kind of independence on the part of the Tea Party GOP happening in Congress if Tom DeLay (The Hammer) was still in charge. If anyone voted "wrong" Tom would have punished them. Do you agree? Does Boehner have ant threats that he can apply to those members not willing to support his bill? Rosalind Helderman: Traditionally, House speakers have used all kinds of pressure tactics to get their members in line. Want a bridge in your district named after a supporter? How about one named for you? Want to go on a study trip to a beautiful foreign country? Want to make sure Congress doesn't cut off funding to a pet program in your district? A lot of those avenues are off limits for this Speaker--both because it's not his style and because House Republicans have said so many times they won't engage in that kind of horse-trading. It's an interesting conundrum. » View full Q&A session MULTIMEDIA Video: McCain and Wall Street Journal anger tea party Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) read an editorial from the Wall Street Journal on the Senate floor Wednesday that called tea party supporters, House members "hobbits." Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy