House GOP Leaves 'Lump Of Coal' In 'Fiscal Cliff' Negotiations
In 10 days, virtually all Americans will be hit with a tax increase and deep government spending cuts will follow shortly behind. That is, unless Congress and President Obama can find a way to avert the "fiscal cliff."
It's not looking very promising at the moment. On Thursday night, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, pulled the plug on a measure he was calling his "Plan B" and sent his members home for Christmas.
When it was clear Boehner's bill wasn't going to get enough votes to pass, he called his members into an emergency meeting in the basement of the Capitol and told them he was giving up on "Plan B."
Florida Republican Allen West's assessment was matter of fact as he walked out of the somber meeting: "He said, 'Merry Christmas,' OK? So, the lump of coal is in the president's box."
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