The Dysfunctional Origins Of The Fiscal Cliff Fiasco

Brian Beutler, January 2, 2013, 1:52 PM

If the end of the 112th Congress differed in any operational way from the rest of the 112th Congress it was that the closing showmanship oversold the consequences of inaction.

The New Year’s drama had all the trappings of a typical 112th Congress cliffhanger — up to and including a final pre-midnight vote denouement — but this time around the deadline that was supposedly driving the action had actually passed without consequence. The mess, such as it was, could’ve been cleaned up in the days and weeks ahead.

So the theatrics were partly self-imposed.