英语访谈节目:共和党能靠债务问题重新站稳脚跟?

GWEN IFILL:Both one Democrat today and Republican Paul Ryan used the same term today about what's happening, which is, they're buying time.

STUART ROTHENBERG: No, I think that's right.

You know, this is about positioning and symbolism and messaging. I think Susan's exactly right. It's not that the Republicans are changing their principles here. It's that they have decided they have lost these arguments because of the way they are making their case, or not making it, and they have been outwitted by the Democrats.

And what they want to talk about for the next six months is deficits, debt, spending. And I think this gives them a chance to do that.

GWEN IFILL:But the possibility of sequestration, these unpopular across-the-board tax cuts -- I mean, spending cuts, or a government shutdown looming, I think the term that Democrat Dick Durbin used was confrontation fatigue. Do they run the risk of confrontation fatigue?

SUSAN PAGE: Yes, I think some of these Republicans do not have confrontation fatigue.

I think confrontation is what energizes them. This is a really conservative group, especially in the House.

GWEN IFILL:And, in fact, 33 Republicans voted against this plan today.

SUSAN PAGE: And they really relish confrontation.

If you're looking for places where they're modifying their position, on immigration, yes, I think so. We could see a deal there that is -- that we have been unable to reach in this town for a decade. But on these fiscal cliff issues, I just think we're in for a period of really pitched warfare like the one that we have had over the past year.

STUART ROTHENBERG: I think, for the Republicans, you know, they have their own fights, but it's not over principle. It's not over where they want the country to go. It's over strategy and tactics.

And you have the folks at the Club for Growth and the anti-tax people, and it's just they want to dig in. I think Republicans now realize -- I don't know if they can carry the day on this, but I think they now realize that a smile, a lighter touch, talking about compromise, but staying tough to principle, repositioning themselves, that could do a world of wonder.

I think they just need a break now. I think they need the focus to be on the White House, the president and the Democrats.

GWEN IFILL:So, what they're counting on then, you're saying, is that not that the vision will change, but that the implementation will be so unpopular for the White House, that they will then be able to regain their footing there that way?

SUSAN PAGE: And, in fact, the country is very concerned about spending. They're concerned about these huge deficits and the debt.

That's an argument that maybe Republicans can get some traction on. I thought this was a good day for John Boehner, who has had a lot of bad days in leading the House. This was a case where they had a retreat last weekend. It was -- the people who were there say it was a very somber retreat.

And they agreed to back the speaker. That wouldn't seem remarkable, except that in the past sometimes they have not been willing to do that.

GWEN IFILL:Here's, I guess, the big question, is whether -- when they say they want to reach across the aisle, when they say they want to talk to Democrats, they want to engage, is that real? And is it even necessary?

STUART ROTHENBERG: Well, I think I think they want to engage as a way, as part of the process of achieving their ends. You know, this day and age, everybody says they want -- you know, let's sit and talk.

But, at the end of the day, let's talk, and then you agree with me, and then we will move on to the next subject, and you can agree with me there as well. I think that's the way both parties operate. I just think the Democrats did it much better over the last year. The Democrats got a lot of mileage about attacking the Republicans for not compromising, and yet most members of the Congress, Democratic members, seemed willing to go over the fiscal cliff to get what they wanted.

At the end, it was -- the White House was unwilling to do that, but a lot of people on the Hill would have been happy, Democrats happy to go off of the edge.

SUSAN PAGE: Here's one possibility for Republicans.

Did President Obama over-reach in his inaugural address? That was just about, I think, the most liberal or progressive message I have heard him deliver in two terms, in a term -- and two elections and a term in the White House, including talking about climate change, which is going to be a very tough battle.

And I think some Republicans think he did over-reach, that he now thinks he doesn't have to run for another election. This is something we have seen affect other second-term presidents. That might be a bit of an opening for the GOP.

GWEN IFILL:What I hear is Democrats saying, here are these great sweeping things we can accomplish now, and Republicans saying, here are these incremental accomplishments we can -- notches we can get on our belt month after month after month, kind of a slog.

STUART ROTHENBERG: Yes, I think you're right. I think the president is emboldened. And we will see whether he will over-reach.

The problem for the Republicans is, strategically and tactically, they have been outsmarted by Democrats for an extended period here. And although they now have a breather, a chance to reset and reposition and begin with a new strategy, the Democrats are not going to sit quietly and allow themselves to be rolled either.

Somehow, they have always been able to be, over the last couple of years, a step ahead of the Republicans.

GWEN IFILL:You mentioned strategy. It's not -- it's not -- it's all going to be fiscal policy. It's not going to be climate change necessarily or immigration, or is it?

SUSAN PAGE: I think these next three months are going to be all about fiscal policy, by necessity. But I think immigration is going to get an early start.

We will see, with the State of the Union address on Feb. 12th, what the president says he's going to pursue first, but I think the expectation is that it will be immigration.

GWEN IFILL:That will be the next big fight.

Thank you both very much, Susan Page of USA Today, Stu Rothenberg, Rothenberg Political Report.

STUART ROTHENBERG: Thanks.