Maybe the Democrats Won't Lose House Seats This November...
Steve Benen:
The Washington Monthly: Of course, congressional Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce are joined at the hip. Does the GOP agree with their buddy Donohue about taxpayers helping pay for the disaster? Actually, yes. Brian Beutler has this report.
In response to a question from TPMDC, House Minority Leader John Boehner backed Tom Donohue, President of the Chamber of Commerce, in saying taxpayers should help pick up the tab. "I think the people responsible in the oil spill -- BP and the federal government -- should take full responsibility for what's happening there." [...] The Chamber is extremely influential in Republican politics, so on that level it's not particularly surprising that Boehner has Donohue's back on this one. But the politics of asking the federal government (i.e. taxpayers) to help cover the multi-billion dollar cleanup and rescue efforts are deadly. Look for Democrats to jump all over this one.
As well they should. Politically, this is a potential game-changer. There's ample polling data that reflects public frustration about the disaster in the Gulf, and that's certainly understandable. But if the cost debate turns partisan -- Dems want BP to pick up the tab; Republicans want you to pick up the tab -- it can change the politics of the story in a hurry. Does Boehner really want to see Republican candidates explaining this fall why they want their constituents to pay for BP's disaster? The 30-second ads write themselves.
