There is little doubt that Boehner’s path forward is perilous: He can strike a deal with Obama and try to get it through the House with Democratic votes, which would further infuriate conservatives. Or, he can refuse to go back to the negotiating table and risk being blamed for letting the country fall off the fiscal cliff. “He has to pick his poison,” said Larry Sabato, head of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “It’s really one or the other.”