Two Republican Debacles in 12 Hours

John Dickerson notes Republicans had two major setbacks in rapid succession: Speaker John Boehner’s failed “Plan B” to avert the fiscal cliff and the NRA’s embarrassing press conference.

“The Republican Party is in a rebuilding mode after its 2012 election loss. These two events–a defiant NRA and an incompetent leadership–cannot be the face of confrontation the GOP wants to show the public on high-profile issues. Tea Party activists and gun owners are a key part of the party base. But these public acts are out of sync with the moment and completely at odds with party’s need to widen its membership.”

Joe Conason: What Americans should learn from the “Republican apocalypse.”