The New York Times notes the last time any Congressional Republican voted for a tax increase was for the budget deal crafted in 1990.

“The conservative revolt against that 1990 legislation — and against President George Bush, who violated his own ‘Read my lips’ vow not to increase taxes — was a seminal moment for Republicans. The party of balanced budgets became the party that opposed tax increases.”

“Republicans continue to embrace the no-new-taxes stand as a centerpiece of the party’s identity, even in the face of public opinion that strongly supports tax increases on high incomes. And some Republicans fear that the party’s commitment to prevent tax increases more and more is coming at the expense of those other, older kinds of fiscal responsibility.”

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.”

The Wall Street Journal has a great behind-the-scenes look at how the fiscal cliff negotiations faltered.

“Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.”

At one point, Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”

Replied Obama: “You get nothing. I get that for free.”

Karen Tumulty: “Disarray is a word much overused in politics. But it barely begins to
describe the current state of chaos and incoherence as Republicans come
to terms with electoral defeat and try to regroup against a year-end
deadline to avert a fiscal crisis.”

“Whether and how the party can resolve the issue has implications going forward. It could determine Boehner’s viability — even his survival– as leader of the only part of the federal government controlled by the Republicans. It also could set the terms of engagement for the battles that lie ahead, including such contentious ones as immigration and the fiscal 2013 spending bills, which are funded for only half the year and which expire March 31.”

“As things stand now, some worry that nothing short of a catastrophe could force a resolution.”

Andrew Sullivan: “The Republican slide
into total epistemic closure and political marginalization has now
become a free-fall. This party, not to mince words, is unfit for
government.”

Politico: “Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Justin Amash (R-MI) and Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), all stripped of prized committee assignments earlier this month because of perceived sins against the party, did a three-amigos end zone dance as GOP leaders struggled and failed to get the votes for a tax-cut bill designed to empower Speaker John Boehner in negotiating the so-called fiscal cliff.”

“The whole episode gave Boehner the feel of a substitute teacher who
is accountable for what happens in the classroom but isn’t really in
control of the kids. He’s already used the tools at his disposal to
bring Huelskamp, Amash and Schweikert into line — and that didn’t work.”

Jonathan Chait notes President Obama seems to have realized he’s not going to get a “grand bargain” to deal with the nation’s debt.

“You can see in the Democratic side a persistent good-government
impulse, one that finds the GOP’s inability to even advance its own
interests rationally as a troublesome failure of government for which
they themselves ultimately share responsibility. It’s true that a
smarter, better organized Republican party would be easier to deal with.
But the GOP remains dysfunctional and apparently bent on
self-immolation. The only question for Obama is whether he wants to
allow Republicans to turn this fact to their advantage, or whether he is
willing to disengage and let them burn out on their own rage.”

The Week: Does President Obama know what he wants?

“God only knows.”

— House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by ABC News, on how Congress will avoid the fiscal cliff.