ABC News reports that Sen. Jon Kyl has followed Congressman Eric Cantor out of the debt talks with Democrats:
Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., will also drop out of the debt talks, a source within his office confirms today. The Arizona Republican’s office will issue a formal statement shortly.
After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) dropped out of the talks this morning, Senator Kyl was the lone Republican in the group left. And with his withdrawal late this morning, the group does not have a Republican negotiator left in the room.
The group was set to meet for the 11th time this afternoon with Vice President Biden, their third meeting of the week.
The group started as six — but is now down to four members from Congress. The remaining members are: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Assistant House Minority Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and House Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
UPDATE 12:00 p.m. – A Senior Democratic aide says, “Cantor and Kyl just threw Boehner and McConnell under the bus. This move is an admission that there will be a need for revenues and Cantor and Kyl don’t want to be the ones to make that deal.”
There will be plenty of analysis of this in the hours and days to come, but it boils down to this: Republicans have become so calcified in their anti-tax position that they’re unwilling to accept that the future of this country depends not only on cuts in spending, but some kind of increase in taxes. That’s simple economic reality, but the GOP is in deep denial mode and appears ready to allow economic collapse rather than acknowledge it.
This article appears in Jun 23-29, 2011.
Now the residents of Arizona know the true Kyle. Great to know he is not seeking re-election.
Your liberal slant is clearly heard. When you were babies was the first word your mother said to you was TAX?
Brilliant answer to the problem! Raise taxes during a period of economic turmoil. Brilliant, simply brilliant! Maybe we should give the cronies that run the big Financial Companies another $700 billion interest free loan while we are at it!
r we could tax the cronies you dislike so much, Nidan. I’d argue with you about the fact that we’re in a historically low-tax point in history and we could consider raising taxes somewhere, but your opposition to taxes is so absolutely kneejerk that’s there’s no point. The GOP position is this: They really would rather have the economy collapse than pay one more dime to the government. They don’t believe in any shared sacrifice. And they are willing to push all the bills onto the people at the bottom and more benefits toward those at the top, even though the last decade shows that strategy results in economic calamity.
No More Taxes!! That was what I heard from Obama! He continues to blame Bush yet they want to raise taxes, not just on the wealthy, but everybody. There we go…into another double-dip recession.
Everything is just ducky! Get back to tea-bagging! #Not intended to be a factual statement.