The fiscal cliff deal: America’s European moment

The Economist ^ | Jan 5th 2013 | (From the print edition)

[Olog-hai]

For the past three years, America’s leaders have looked on Europe’s management of the euro crisis with barely disguised contempt. In the White House and on Capitol Hill there has been incredulity that Europe’s politicians could be so incompetent at handling an economic problem; so addicted to last-minute, short-term fixes; and so incapable of agreeing on a long-term strategy for the single currency.

Those criticisms were all valid, but now those who made them should take the planks from their own eyes. America’s economy may not be in as bad a state as Europe’s, but the failures of its politicians—epitomized by this week’s 11^th-hour deal to avoid the calamity of the “fiscal cliff”—suggest that Washington’s pattern of dysfunction is disturbingly similar to the eurozone’s…

This week, Mr. Obama boasted that he had fulfilled his mandate by raising taxes on the rich. In fact, by failing once again to clear up America’s fundamental fiscal trouble, he and Republican leaders are building Brussels on the Potomac. …

[Ciexyz]

This is all getting wearisome IMO.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Those criticisms were all valid, but now those who made them should take the planks from their own eyes. America’s economy may not be in as bad a state as Europe’s, but the failures of its politicians—epitomized by this week’s 11th-hour deal to avoid the calamity of the “fiscal cliff”—suggest that Washington’s pattern of dysfunction is disturbingly similar to the eurozone’s…”

BLA-BLA-BLA, its split party government, exactly what you would expect. Of course they don’t reach a deal till the deadline.

Bohner was smart throwing out his plan B two weeks before deadline. He smoked out the ‘Don’t pass nuthin’ caucus.
So finally when the Senate bill came over their objections to it were things in it that were not in plan B, which they already rejected anyway . So they didn't matter.