Plan C anybody?

John Boehner knew that the more obdurate voices in his party would never vote for anything resembling a compromise with the White House so he pulled the plug on negotiations with the President and went to Plan B. “I’ve become convinced,” Boehner said, “the president is unwilling to stand up to his own party on the big issues that face our country.

This is an unfortunate move, a non starter. A classic case of the tail wagging the dog. The Senate will never agree to it and Obama has vowed to, and will veto the plan, that is if the Speaker can even marshall the votes in his own party to pass it. Boehner has scheduled a vote on legislation that would also shift $55 billion in scheduled defense cuts to cuts in food and health benefits for the poor and other domestic programs as well as rolling back some of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation reforms of 2010. Pure political posturing for the eventual blame game. Too bad. The American people deserved better.

Obama has caved on a lot. $1.8 trillion became $1.4 trillion, became $1.3 trillion in new revenue. Social Security seems to be on the table. Boehner keeps saying that it is time for the President to get serious. I think the reverse is true. The President has given quite enough. Get a grip, GOP.

The President was very clear about his intentions regarding taxing the upper 2% during the campaign. The American people voted. Time to stand down, John.

*
Postscript

Casey Jones you better watch your speed...

House now won't vote because Boehner doesn't have enough votes. Conservative wing of the insurrection don't want to risk their moral purity by hitting up the upper 2% for more gelt. Funny thing, sequestration, the dreaded "fiscal cliff" was drawn up to be so noxious and debilitating that no one in their right mind on either side would ever conceive of letting it happen. And look where we are...