The Republican Party can’t figure out what it wants from the sequester, which is scheduled to kick in this Friday. Politico writes that the GOP is struggling between members who want to replace the cuts, let them happen, or make them even deeper. Karl Rove, who once led the party’s methodically unified message through the Bush years, now says, “Congressional Republicans are simultaneously united, divided and confused.”
Meanwhile Democrats have been beating the drum for a single cause, calling for the sequester to be averted by a mix of spending cuts and tax revenue. Senate Democrats are poised to put out a balanced plan this week. The president has a clear framework of cuts and revenue outlined on the White House website, where even savings from Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are on the table.
Will Republicans get their message straight, or will the party present three separate positions?
Alex Wagner speaks with the NOW panel about who holds the upper hand with just four days until the sequester.
Joshua Chaffee