Thelma and Louise Want To Borrow Your Car

What’s
Wrong Today:

Here is
a visual breakdown of the offers and counteroffers between Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner
through Tuesday:

Source: Wonkblog

(The green blocks below the line are spending increases, while
everything above the line are spending cuts and tax increases)

They don’t seem very far apart based on the chart, but since then there
have been no negotiations between the parties. Then, yesterday, Mr. Boehner met
the press and said that his latest
idea is Plan B, a back-up plan that assumes a deal can’t get done by the
end of the year, and that he would ask
the House to vote on it today.

Dan
Pfeiffer at the White House said this about the Boehner’s Plan B:

The congressional
Republican ‘plan B’ legislation continues large tax cuts for the very
wealthiest individuals – on average, millionaires would see a tax break of
$50,000 – while eliminating tax cuts that 25 million students and families
struggling to make ends meet depend on.

So what is Speaker Boehner trying to accomplish? It is difficult
to fathom why he’s even attempting to do this. He’s trying to get his caucus to
vote for tax hikes on millionaires in return for what?

Apparently, nothing.

The
Democrats are desperate to make the
Republicans break their anti-tax pledge and Boehner is asking his
members to do it for free?

It
might be a sensible strategy if it got him further towards some plausible goal,
but what is it?

John of
Orange is saying: “Get in the car Thelma, I’ll drive.”