By Susan Duclos
The so-called fiscal cliff deal has passed Congress and Speaker John Boehner was one of 85 Republicans to vote in favor of the bill along with all but 16 Democrats in the House. The bill, which Obama has pledged to sign, has a 10-to-1 ratio of tax increases over spending cuts. 151 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the deal.
The deal raises taxes by four percent on anyone making $400,000 or filing as a couple $450,000. The payroll tax holiday has ended so taxes are also increased on the rest of Americans workers. The bill also increases government spending by $330 billion. . The death tax has been raised to 40 percent on any amount over $5 million. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the deal will add $4 trillion to the nation's deficit over the next decade.
There are very few pundits that see anything good in this bill, but Power Line does provide an optimistic take on the fiscal cliff deal, for those that are interested.
Now for the question of the day, or perhaps the week.
Should John Boehner be elected as Speaker for the next session of Congress?
Granted John Boehner was in a difficult position over the fiscal cliff issue and there is no doubt that position will stay difficult over the next two years with a Democrat controlling the White House and Democrats in control of the Senate.
But, there is a growing number of Republicans in the House and throughout the country that do not think John Boehner has the backbone to use the advantage of position as the party that controls the House of Representatives, therefore the purse strings of the nation.
Via BG:
American Majority Action spokesman Ron Meyer told Breitbart News late Tuesday that enough House Republicans have banded together in an effort to unseat House Speaker John Boehner from his position--they just need a leader to take up the mantle.
“At least 20 House Republican members have gotten together, discussed this and want to unseat Speaker Boehner--and are willing to do what it takes to do it,” Meyer said. “That’s more than enough to get the job done, but the one problem these guys face is they need a leader to coalesce behind.”
For the past two presidential elections, the GOP establishment has chosen "moderates" to represent the party, forgetting that in their desire to appeal to Independents and Moderates, they cannot win an election without their conservative base being united. They lost.
Thursdays vote will be indicative to conservatives voters as to whether the establishment and House Republicans have learned anything at all from party leaders' failure to choose well.
It is time to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House, the real question is whether House Republicans have the guts or intelligence to do so.
