If the Republicans hold together, they can prevent the passage of higher tax rates.
If the Republicans fracture, we will get the higher tax rates, but at least we will know who we cannot trust when it comes time to pick candidates in 2014.
The purpose of this plan is to conceal from the voters which members of the Republican caucus cannot be trusted on taxes. To my mind, anybody who goes along to keep this information from Republican primary voters is not to be trusted, so anybody who votes “Present” should get a primary challenge.
Our Republican Congresscritters have to know that the only way to prove they are worthy of re-election is to vote “Nay” on any and all tax increases. Any other vote put’s them in the “To Be Primaried” pile.
Haiku Guy has it right.
If they vote “Present”
I will vote “Democrat”
The Devil I Know
We need higher tax-rates; but let me explain -- there is a huge segment that pays no income tax, the top 20% of earners pay ~50% of the total income-tax revenue (IIRC).
Now, the ultra-wealthy can hire people [and indeed whole firms] whose job is to find tax-shelters and loopholes so that they don't have to pay [much] taxes. (On a corporate level, that's what happened w/ GE a while back.)
So then we have a situation where two groups have significantly less tax-burdens than the "average working man" -- a simple and just solution would be considered raising taxes, but is far more just than our current progressive scale: flat-rate, no exemptions, no credits.
But the reason the political caste won't go for something like that is because it strips them of the power to dole out favors in the form of adding (or destroying) loopholes the corporations want.