The GOP is not the big loser the media wants you to believe.

The National Review gives us this story.  

House Republicans on Thursday crumpled under the weight of White House and public pressure and have agreed to pass a two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut, Republican and Democratic sources told National Journal.   The House made the move after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed to appoint conferees to a committee to resolve differences between the Senate's two-month, 2 percentage point, payroll-tax cut and the House's one-year alternative.   The House will pass the two-month extension with a technical correction to the language designed to minimize difficulties businesses might experience implementing the short-term, two-month tax cut extension. Negotiators "found a path forward for a 2-month deal that provides a brief extension, that fixes the payroll problems in the Senate-passed bill, and that provides the ability to work toward a longer-term solution," said another House GOP aide with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The deal would remove some reporting requirements that Republicans argued added to the administrative burden caused by a short-term extension

Know that the conferees committee was something the Democrats opposed.  They lost the war on this matter.  Over the course of the past three years,  the Democrats have proven that they simply do not want a balanced budget at any level.  This battle proves the point. 


Also,  understand that the GOP has forced a Keystone Pipeline decision,  two months from now.  Obama, on the one hand,   will have to move against his union support in denying this project,  one that was fully approved by the EPA in August of 2011, or, on the other hand, move against the smaller but louder constituency that is the radicalized environmental block of his party.  Until the passage of this temporary bill,  Obama's strategy was to postpone this decision until after the 2012 elections.  Since he is not a "man of his word,"  we have no idea as to his intentions,  but we do know what this bill demands and what he agreed to.    Time will tell if the GOP can hold Obama's feet to the fire.  

While Obama his finally won a PR battle with the help of a compliant media,  the "victory" is as empty as empty gets,  and  might be completely erased come this March.

One thing for certain,  if the GOP House leadership did not get the message during this battle,  the conferee's commission had better be about the pipeline and something substantial as relates to budgetary concerns.  If not,  the 2012 elections will be more about getting rid of those who would compromise the future of this country than beating Obama.  

We gain nothing to march forward without Obama but with a wholly compromised,  John McCain lead,  Republican Party.  Like I said,  back in 2008, to the Establishment GOP,   "Try winning an election without us conservatives."  

For now,  I have great respect for Jim DeMint and Marco Rubio.  It is my understanding that they voted for this bill in the Senate and remain committed to TEA Party goals. Understand that,  at some point,  we have to trust our leadership . . . . . . . . . . . and that includes Boehner and Cantor in the House.