Abandoning 'Plan B'

The fact that the Speaker couldn't twist enough arms & muster enough votes to successfully vote in his 'Plan B' millionaire tax hike is a Blessing...

NBCNews: House Speaker John Boehner abandoned efforts to pass his ‘Plan B’ version of legislation to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff after conservative Republican rank-and-file members refused to follow their leader. In a dramatic defeat for House GOP leadership, Boehner suddenly cancelled a planned vote on the measure late Thursday night, conceding that he could not muster enough support within his own ranks for a proposal that would have raised tax rates on those making over $1 million a year.

Republican leaders announced they would shut down the House and head home for the Christmas holiday...The House will now recess and members have been advised that they will return "when needed" before the end of the year.

"The House did not take up the tax measure today because it did not have sufficient support from our members to pass," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement. "Now it is up to the president to work with Senator Reid on legislation to avert the fiscal cliff. The House has already passed legislation to stop all of the January 1 tax rate increases and replace the sequester with responsible spending cuts that will begin to address our nation's crippling debt. The Senate must now act."

The Senate is expected to return to session after the Christmas holiday on December 27.

This may be the best thing Boehner's done all year...and he had little to do with it!

Regardless of the principle Boehner was prepared to violate, this wasn't going to become law anyway. Obama vowed to veto it and Reid wouldn’t let it come up for a vote in the Senate. So in the end, it's evident who's ready to hike taxes (for thinking-Americans, that is). Unfortunately, it still wouldn't be surprising if some kind of sham deal was made before the year's end.

Nonetheless, now that Republicans bucked the leadership on this one, it's time to get serious about finding some real leadership that can take it to Obama. Time for Boehner to GO!