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It looks to me like it is time for the House GOP to stop negotiating against itself.

IMHO, the GOP could win this PR battle if it:

(1) Passed a bill that reduces our fiscal deficit by:

(a) Taxing “carried-interest” gains of hedge-funders at ordinary income rates.
(b) Making interest over $50,000 on tax-exempt bonds taxable at ordinary income rates.
(c) Capping total itemized deductions from personal taxable income at, say, $50,000.
(d) Putting a “too-big-to-fail” tax on the dozen or so banks and investment banks that are STILL too big.
(e) Treating “state tax credits” for producing movies as current period taxable income.
(f) Radically reducing tax subsidies to all entertainment businesses.
(g) Placing a hiring freeze on the Federal Government — which includes all its sub-units except Defense.
(h) Treating inheritances as ordinary taxable income to the heirs.
(i) Permitting gifts to charities to be deductible for tax purposes ONLY if contributed as cash. Non-cash gifts like “art”, junk autos, and valuable “personal papers” would be non-tax-deductible, regardless of their so-called “appraised” values.
(h) ETC.

(2) Sent that bill to the Senate.

(3) Sent every Representative home until the Senate passes the same bill — or passes a modified bill with differences to be be worked out in a conference, i.e.: the “normal way”.

IMHO, the “Chicago Way” — where the House of Representatives is left to beg for a serious response from Harry Reed and the White House — is a fool’s game.

IMHO, it’s time to stop playing that game.