Show Me The Money.  Well Mr. Boehner…I guess the ball is in your court.  If you were to call time out and huddle up on courtside, hand me the clipboard and a marker, here is the play I would draw up: Tell them to show you the money.

Republicans have to face up to the fact that Obama was re-elected and that the Democrats held onto their majority status in the Senate.  Even though Obama’s victory was much, much closer (thin margin in almost every battleground state) than the Electoral College indicates, it was a victory nonetheless.  There is absolutely no way, if I were Boehner, one should allow the President to fight the upcoming legislative battles on the basis of rhetoric.  Mr. Boehner needs to keep his team together, communicate well, and do everything in his power to force the Democrats to put their ideas in writing.  This approach will result in one of two things.  First, nothing will happen because the Democrats will not create a paper trail of their positions that might come back to haunt them in two years and there will be endless discussion of blame assignment for the resulting gridlock, or….Second, Democratic proposals will be submitted to the floor, the Senate will pass them wholly, and the House will then grapple with the lost art of compromise.  Truly, therein lays the devil.  A certain amount of movement towards the President must be expected due to his successful campaign, but total capitulation will be almost impossible to swallow for most Republican Representatives. 

I would imagine the best approach for conservatives is a matter of conjecture; specifically, how will the economy perform under each scenario?  That, my friends, is truly the million dollar question.  Given the landscape we live in today, I would urge Mr. Boehner to boost team morale, know very well in advance what his limits on compromise are, and prepare for a long wait.