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Of course the left has the luxury of being intransigent, knowing the GOP will get the blame for the consequences, while Obama gets the praise for avoiding the fiscal crash.

It`s a no-win for the Repubs anyway, so they should simply let all the tax cuts expire and let the chips fall where they may. No more half-assed half-measures. Americans need to feel the brunt of their stupid electoral choices.

Absolutely correct. They are already doing polling and it shows that the public is already blaming the ‘Pubs for any damage that may come of going over the cliff. Obama will get any credit for not going over it, so what do the ‘Pubs have to gain or lose by going along? May as do the right thing and let the whole rotten edifice collapse. Let people understand that their choices in an election have consequences. Obama’s policies are a disaster that has simply been postponed for four years by band-aids and half-measures. Now is the time to let their full impact be felt.

I suspect Boehner will cave. When you have people like Bill Kristol saying that it should be done, you are losing the ideological battle.

Unfortunately, the Reps are not doing a good job of explaining why they don't want the taxes of the "rich" to be raised. Obama says it will only affect 3% of small businesses, but as Romney pointed out during the debates, these 3% create more than half of the jobs.

And the GOP has failed to link the impact of Obamacare on small business in tandem with raising the taxes for the "rich." Again, the Dems have framed the argument and he who frames the argument usually wins it. The majority of the public wants taxes raised on the "rich." If the Reps cause us to go over the fiscal cliff, the Dems will use this on the Reps in the midterms and perhaps, retake the House in 2014.

Assuming Boehner and enough Reps cave on this tax increase to get it passed in the House, there must be an important concession by Obama to placate an irate GOP base. I don't think Boehner has the cajones to do that. The GOP political leadership is poised to give away the store. Obamacare is the law of the land. We need comprehensive immigration reform to legalize the 12 to 20 million lawbreakers in this country and to allow them thru family reunification, i.e., chain migration, to sponsor 66 million more of their relatives to enter this country legally.