The failure on Speaker John Boehner’s part to pass his “plan B” has increased the upper hand of the Democrats. Instead of shifting the blame to Democrats, as Boehner had hoped, it put more pressure and blame on him as he made it appear that he could not control his caucus. Under the Speaker’s plan, the bill would pass, Democrats would then receive most, if not all, of the blame when the fiscal cliff struck. It helped him when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the bill would not even come for a vote in the Senate. But, a little before 8:00 P.M. Thursday night, the bill was pulled for consideration even before a roll call vote. Speaker Boehner later said that the bill was pulled due to a lack of support from members of the party. Later, he would say that members did not want to vote for it due to the political ramifications. Yes, political ramifications on a bill that wouldn’t go anywhere intentionally.
