Anatomy of a Flop: GOP "Cliff" Counter-Offer Fizzles

Anatomy of a Flop: GOP "Cliff" Counter-Offer Fizzles

Yesterday evening we reported the details of House Republicans' "fiscal cliff" compromise offer to the White House, which offered real ideological concessions, to the tune of $800 Billion in new revenues.  The plan -- originally conceived last year by the Democratic co-chairman of the debt commission, Erskine Bowles -- also calls for the reduction of both discretionary and mandatory spending, making needed (albeit small-ball) reforms to the largest drivers of our debt.  Unlike the president's risible, widely-panned proposal last week, Republicans' new negotiating posture offers genuine compromise: (a) It has bipartisan origins, (b) it achieves "balance," (c) it...