The Hill News

Ouch. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has a hideous job on any day, trying to keep his fractured conference together, but yesterday was one for the history books. In conceding on the payroll tax extension package the Senate had passed and his conference had opposed all week, Boehner made clear he had fought for fighting's sake, and that doing the right thing isn't always easy â€" which he reiterated several times. But it was clear he knew his conference has reached the point of diminishing returns with their lonely, losing payroll tax cut battle.

There are indications that tensions arose between House GOP leaders over this fight, and that Boehner should have known last Friday, when the two-month payroll tax cut extension was first introduced behind closed doors, that it would present problems for his conservative members. Yet Boehner allowed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), with whom he works quite closely and has known for many years, to believe t! hat passing a bipartisan bill and leaving town was fine. He was bucked by his members on Saturday, then chose to stick by them as they walked off a political cliff.

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