Ramesh Ponnuru and most of the crew at the National Review are somewhat mystified about why the Republicans knifed their Speaker on Thursday night. Yet, I think Mr. Ponnuru has identified the cause correctly. The ideologues in the party do not want to vote for tax increases (even if the result is lower taxes for more people) because it will make it harder for them to criticize the Democrats on taxes. It will mess up their brand and damage their message.
And this is precisely why a Grand Bargain is preferable to going over the cliff. A Grand Bargain that forces half or more of the House Republicans to vote for a tax increase and for economic stimulus and for extending the debt ceiling will take away their ability to coherently continue their idiotic Tea Party campaign.
The backbenchers know this. And they don’t want to give up their stupid arguments, let alone vote for all the things the said they were against. That’s why they knifed their Speaker, and that’s why their Speaker can’t find a compromise that his caucus will accept.