The only drama surrounding the House vote, if you can call it drama, was how the Republican caucus would split. In the end, 87 Republicans voted for the compromise, if you can call it a compromise. One hundred forty-four Republicans voted against it.
I’m far from an expert when it comes to the Republican caucus, but I expected less Republican support. Apparently, the Washington Post shared my expectation (“The House was expected to pass [the bill], with most Democrats and a few Republicans voting yes”).
Is the relatively high level of GOP support a reflection of solidarity with Speaker Boehner, who voted for the bill? Is it a reflection of suppressed unhappiness over the shutdown? Or were there sweeteners that haven’t been reported yet?
At a minimum, the vote seems to reflect a lack of fear by many Republican members of being primaried.
Or am I simply wrong to view the level of Republican support as surprisingly high?
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.