Debt ceiling vote: John Boehner down to the wire with vote count

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

Speaker John Boehner is down to the one-on-one meetings with Republicans to win today’s fight.

With just hours to go before a critical debt-limit vote, the speaker is pulling Republicans off the floor and meeting with them in his ceremonial office on the second floor of the Capitol as he tries to make sure he has at least 217 votes to pass his deficit package.

First to go into Boehner’s office was Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. Fleischmann was first grabbed off the floor by Barry Jackson, Boehner’s powerful chief of staff, and that was followed by two quick meetings with the speaker himself.

Florida Rep. Dennis Ross was next into Boehner’s office, and then California Rep. Gary Miller, who was described as “all over the place” by one GOP aide. California Rep. Tom McClintock got some face time with Boehner, as did Florida Rep. Bill Posey.

GOP aides said Boehner and the entire Republican leadership are pulling out all the stops for the debt vote. Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky is helping usher members into their meetings with Boehner. While Rogers can’t hand out bridge and road projects like his predecessors, he has a wide network of contacts after three decades in Congress, both in Washington and beyond. This network is being worked hard by Boehner and other top Republicans.

“We’re calling governors, donors, former senators, anyone we can to talk to these guys,” said a Republican staffer involved in the frantic arm-twisting effort.
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Arm-twisting time at the 11th hour.