The Fecal Cliff

As far as I can tell, the legislation doesn't address Social Security or Medicare.

But of course Obama's going to try and cut them at some later date, perhaps as soon as February.

... for exactly the wrong reasons:

Sen. Michael Bennet was one of only eight senators who voted against averting the fiscal cliff early this morning, saying he couldn’t support tax cuts for people making under $450,000 a year because the package didn’t have any deficit reduction.

In a middle-of-the-night statement, Bennet called Washington “the land of flickering lights” — poking fun of its penchant for doing things at the last minute. He said the Coloradans he’s met “want a plan materially reduces the deficit. This proposal does not meet that standard and does not put in place a real process to reduce the debt down the road.”

The move is an intrepid one from the perch of Democratic party leadership. Bennet runs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — a fundraising arm of the party for the 2014 Senate cycle. He just took the job last month and has vowed not to let it get in the way of his middle-of-the-road ideals and crossing the aisle reputation.

Among the eight who voted no, three are Democrats and five are Republicans.

But wait -- it gets worse -- he's got a plan:

Bennet co-authored, with Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a blueprint to overhaul the tax code and entitlements, including Medicaid and Medicare.

The plan, which hasn’t yet been “scored” yet by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office which means it’s still unclear how much revenue it would bring in to the federal government, is meant to be a guide for Congressional leaders, and the White House, as they take on tax reform.

So, at least we know this bunraku was just to get the blood up -- then they can do their worst during the next national crisis, under cover of darkness.