Bipartisan negotiations over Wall Street reform appeared on the brink of collapse Tuesday night, over the issue of consumer financial protection, and Republicans appeared prepared to ultimately cede the current fight to the Democrats, signaling that if a deal between each party’s principals doesn’t bear fruit soon, they’ll move ahead with the Democrats’ bill. "I don’t feel like there’s a real possibility in the near future of getting a bipartisan bill… I just don’t feel that’s a possibility," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) in response to a question from TPMDC.
Corker hasn’t decided if he himself will ultimately decide to break a GOP filibuster of financial reform legislation–but he’s fairly certain that a global agreement between Democrats and Republicans is likely impossible. "I don’t feel under any pressure [but] I’m just far less optimistic than I’ve ever been."
Unlike Corker, Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH), long thought to be a financial reform swing vote, said he’ll give negotiations between Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) a bit more time–he said he’s likely to vote to sustain the filibuster again tomorrow. But if there’s no breakthrough soon, he’s going to vote with the Democrats to debate the issue on the floor.
"I have an idea how much time it takes to cut a deal," Voinovich said.
Financial Reform Talks Near Collapse, GOP Prepares To Cave | TPMDC