Senate Republican aide: House Republicans have 'zero leverage' in payroll tax cut fight

The White House is counting down how much time House Republicans have left to act
 

The White House is counting down how much time House Republicans have left to act
 

Greg Sargent:

A senior Senate Republican aide I spoke to this morning said the sentiment among some Senate Republican aides is that the House holds no leverage at all. And he suggested a very interesting endgame in this fight for Dems.

“The House has zero leverage,” this Senate GOP aide says. “If I’m Schumer or Reid, what I’d do is let it expire and force the House to come back the next day and pass it.”

And according to a Democratic aide who spoke with Sargent, that appears to be exactly what Democrats are doing:

“If they refuse to pick it up, it will expire, and we will continue to rake them over the coals in the press,” the Dem aide said. There are already fractures showing in their facade. At a certain point they are just going to have to cave and cut their losses. Our line is, no negotiations until they pass the Senate compromise. That’s not changing at all.”

So Democrats are standing firm. House Republicans may be demanding a replay of the debt ceiling debacle, but this time they aren't going to get what they want. They can kick and scream to their heart's content, but they're going to have to do it all alone: nobody is on their side. Not even Senate Republicans.

9:58 AM PT: And House Republicans have decided to walk right into a brick wall, voting 229-193 to reject the Senate bill and request a conference committee to continue negotiations.