GOP’s problem isn’t which hostage to take. It’s the extortion strategy itself.

By Greg Sargent, WashPost Updated: September 24, 2013

The conservative drive to threaten a government shutdown to defund Obamacare is collapsing, thanks in part to the news that Mitch McConnell won’t vote with Ted Cruz, effectively meaning the strategy is dead. So now, multiple reports are telling us that House Republicans are preparing to use the debt limit to force an Obamacare delay.

This comes as new polling confirms yet again the basic dynamic here: The American people, even if they disapprove of Obamacare, do not support using this fall’s fiscal confrontations to sabotage the law, whether we’re talking about a government shutdown or the debt limit.

In moving away from a shutdown fight, House Republicans are pleading with conservatives to recognize two realities — Dems won’t agree to seriously undermine Obamacare, and destructive brinksmanship will damage the GOP far more than Obama or Dems. But in forging the new House GOP strategy, Republican leaders are refusing to bow to the very same realities they are asking conservatives to accept.

David Drucker reports on the new plan being hatched by House Republicans:

The package that House GOP leaders plan to unveil when their members return to Washington late Wednesday will be anchored by proposals to simultaneously raise the federal borrowing limit and delay for a year further implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, the legislation would likely include a collection of previously introduced bills popular among House Republicans and difficult for Obama to dominate, including construction of the job-rich Keystone XL pipeline.

(More here.)