Update:  This is well said and to the point [H/T Powerline]:

But all concerned are working within a fiscal system that has become seriously pathological. The cliff is the latest expression of that pathology.

….

It should be a matter of acute national embarrassment that our leaders can pretend to be redistributing from wealthy to average citizens when, in fact, they are redistributing in far greater measure from the young and unborn.

Finally, someone gets it. – end update

You know, the people inside the Congressional Bubble have truly lost lock on reality. All the high drama over the House’s unwillingness to kick-the-can-down-the-road anymore with the Democrats is pathetic:

“I don’t want to talk to the people who ruined this, at least right now,” a retiring House member told me. “They don’t get it.” Another senior member told me that Boehner was always going to struggle with the whip count since most House conservatives have little interest in seeing the speaker strike any kind of deal. “Boehner was trying to play chess and the caucus was playing checkers,” he said, sighing. “Boehner is willing to lose a pawn for a queen. I’m not sure about the rest.”

These old GOP House dogs are still playing the tired game of do nothing now and promise to behave better sometime in the future. Damn glad they are retiring. The Tea Party/Libertarians are so done with this crap. The only reason to negotiate is pretend they are doing something, because they sure as hell weren’t going to get anything real in return. The best we can hope for is what is built into the current ‘fiscal’ (read ‘legislative’) cliff.

Supposedly the GOP is now at a disadvantage because everyone will have to pay Bill Clinton level taxes.  So what? The average American is going to have to stop pretending government has a bottomless purse and infinite wisdom. In fact, the government is in short supply of both right now.

Boehner and his allies want to carve out “something” and call it progress. But why? We get spending cuts and tax increases to offset the spending spree of Obama and the Dems. What kind of moron is incapable of presenting this to the American people and winning the argument? If you can’t win this simple point you should not be leading the GOP.

This incompetence, this inability to stop playing games and stand on principle WITHOUT LOSING the PR fight is why we are where we are. If Boehner and his team decide to go with some BS compromise by going with Democrat votes on this front, then they damn well better step aside. And they damn well better understand they will have destroyed the GOP in the process. If the GOP does not stand for fiscal sanity and tough financial love, then it stands for nothing.

This ‘buy’ time crap with incentives, and tax breaks and all manner of special interest paths to the federal trough has to end. Stop being pols and start being adults. Our kids are sacrificing life and limb for this nation, and these fools on The Hill cannot even risk a drop in the polls to hold the line on spending. If the Dems want to spend, then we raise taxes on EVERYONE until we balance. That is the only way to make people realize there is no free ride for Democrat nonsense.  I say raise taxes on everyone to get financially right! Once those hit you will see a cry for spending cuts like never before.

Because the truth is we are not paying our way. To me, these mammoth deficits are worse than any marginal tax rate – because they flow down to the backs of the following generations. We are stealing their futures and it needs to end. Bring on the Cliff, bring on the Debt Ceiling. This is a problem with spending, not run away taxes (or runaway tax cuts).

I bet within 2 months everyone will be singing Bush’s praise and lamenting the return of the Obama/Clinton tax rates….

Addendum: You know what all the shock and disturbed reactions mean? It means for once the House is beginning to break out of its usual pattern of kick-the-can-down-the-road.  The unease is the lack of familiarity with the old ways. to me, when I read stuff like this I can only smile:

Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, a conservative with libertarian leanings, was stunned. As he walked back to his office, he said the episode was unfortunate, even though he was planning to vote against the measure. For the past month, since House leaders booted him off the budget committee, he has been railing against Boehner for his management style. But even Amash wondered whether the House GOP was making the right move. “Too many people in there were arguing that this thing is a tax increase, and I don’t think that’s what Boehner was trying to do,” he said. As much as he disagrees with Boehner’s approach, even he regretted how the speaker’s plan was killed.

It had to die. The GOP can no longer be complacent in the DC two-step. It is bankrupting our kids and grand kids. If WE can’t afford to pay our way, what makes anyone think the next generation can take care of their problems AND deal with the bill we left them for our problems? The unease of he unexplored country is a good sign. I just wish these ‘leaders’ had the backbone to see it through with a little more mettle and spine.

Tags: Fiscal Cliff