Baby steps...

Not only did the Republicans, with some help from the other side of the aisle, block the Democrats compromised version of the tax bill ~ the attempt to reinstate taxes for couples earning more than $250,000 ~ they also walked away from another version that would had the tax increase kick in at $1,000,000.

In purely political terms, at least up until recently, it would have been a compromise the Republicans would have gone for because, after all, who has sympathy for millionaires?

But if the the results of the election defined a belief by the majority of voters that it is time to limit the reach of the government across the board, than increasing the amount of anyone's tax rate doesn't fly.

After years of growing the size of government in tandem with their bosom buddies, maybe Republicans are checking their premises and, way more importantly, growing a set of, um, developing some guts.