Off The Cliff We Go

Tonight, Speaker of the House John Boehner declined to bring his so-called “Plan B” for averting the so-called fiscal cliff for a vote. “Plan B” did not have enough support among House Republicans to pass. The House immediately voted to adjourn until after Christmas. We’re pretty much going off the cliff unless something drastic happens in the next couple of weeks.

The GOP messaging and generally how they have conducted themselves in this crisis is abysmal. The House GOP should be out front trying to point out in every media appearance that they passed legislation in August extending the Bush tax rates for everyone and that the Senate has done nothing about it. But they haven’t talked about this, instead they have bought into the Democrat party’s class warfare arguments hook line and sinker. First it was the GOP leadership’s proposal to cap deductions for wealthy taxpayers, then it was getting into general agreement with President-Messiah Barack Obama about taxing the eeevvviiilll rich. For these basic marketing failures alone, the House GOP is in dire need of new leadership, starting with a new Speaker. If the Republican Party cannot be counted on to oppose tax increases, what is the point of voting for them?

All President-Messiah Obama has to do at this point is do nothing. Republicans are so afraid that they will be blamed for going off the fiscal cliff that they will give him exactly what he wants. If by some miracle House Republicans somehow receive a backbone from Santa for Christmas, Obama still wins because taxes go up for all Americans; not just the eeevvviiilll rich.

The only thing Republicans can do at this point is walk away. Let Obama win this battle because there is nothing to negotiate with. Vote present in the House for Obama’s plan and don’t filibuster Obama’s plan in the Senate. Let Obama and the Democrats own the consequences of their economic policies, for better or worse.

Originally published: https://kevinboyd1984.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/off-the-cliff-we-go/

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