Republicans and the Fiscal Cliff

For the past few months, we have been constantly hearing about the fiscal cliff and January 1, 2013. The day had come and gone and leadership caved.

This bill does not deal with our long term fiscal challenges and raises taxes on many Americans; a position, as we could remember back from 1992, greatly damaged the Republicans. The Republican leadership, Boehner specifically, showed his cards and showed that he's willing to cave into threats from the president and media.

I remember the days of Newt Gingrich, who would have shown a much stronger resolve, taken the United States over the cliff and made the president address the problem head on; not discounting the Republicans the way this president does. If we remember back in the 1990s, Bill Clinton was dragged kicking and screaming by Speaker Gingrich to reform welfare and achieve many of the goals of the Contract with America, even if the Federal Government had to be shut down.

John Boehner has been exposed and the Democrats/media forced him to show his cards, therefore, they will have his number as long as he is Speaker. It is for this reason, he must be challenged. Right after the election, I called for Paul Ryan to challenge him, but I am retracting that endorsement because of his vote on the Fiscal Cliff vote. It is days like this that I still wish Mike Pence was still in the leadership, let alone in the House. Outside of the Eric Cantor rumors, there haven't been any significant challenges, and even with the nay votes on this bill Boehner is likely to continue as Speaker. The onus is upon Conservatives and TEA Party members to keep the pressure on him to strengthen his resolve and not abandon Conservative principles under the pressure of the media and presidential pulpit. The Speaker should not forget that the House of Representatives is the last line of defense between America and four more years of the Obama agenda!