Teacher:In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: Topics: Opening Shot, Editor's Picks, John Boehner, Barack Obama, Fiscal cliff, Politics News 
  
 Last night was hardly the first public humiliation that John Boehner has suffered at the hands of his fellow Republicans, but it’s probably the most stark. And it raises some very basic questions about the House speaker’s political future – like whether he even has one. 
  
 That Boehner had devised and pursued Plan B in the first place seemed to speak to his weak grip on the GOP conference. Boehner and President Obama had negotiated their way to within spitting distance of each other, with the president giving significant ground on his revenue demands, agreeing to a reduction in Social Security benefits, and giving up on a payroll tax holiday extension. But when word of the looming deal leaked, House Republicans let their displeasure be known, and the speaker announced that he’d instead hold a vote on a bill to extend the Bush tax rates for all income under $1 million. That was Plan B. 
  
 Exactly where Plan B fit into Boehner’s overall strategy was a matter of some debate, but he pressed hard for it and confidently predicted he had the 218 votes needed to pass it. So now we know that not only does Boehner not have sufficient support among Republicans to pass a potential compromise with Obama, he also doesn’t have the support to pass his own plan. 
  
 It’s still possible some kind of fiscal cliff deal will be completed before Jan. 1, but it’s hard to see how. Last night’s developments are a clear sign that a significant chunk of Republicans are simply committed to never voting for any kind of tax hike – even one on a tiny chunk of super-wealthy people, even when it comes with some serious concessions from the other party, and even when failing to act means that taxes will go up for everyone. 
  
 The most likely scenario now is that Jan. 1 will come and go, the Bush tax cuts will expire for all Americans, and President Obama and Democrats will then introduce a bill to restore the Bush rates for most people – maybe using the $250,000 income threshold that Obama stuck with until this week. Maybe then, when the vote really would be for a tax cut, Republicans will sign off on it. But for now, that’s not where they are. ||||| Has there been a House speaker in modern American history with less control over his members than John Boehner? 
  
 Sad trombone. (Charles Dharapak / AP) 
  
 Over the past three days, Boehner has focused all attention on "Plan B": an effort to strengthen his hand in negotiations with President Obama by passing backup legislation that would extend the Bush tax cuts for all income under $1 million. 
  
 Tonight, Boehner lost that vote. In a dramatic turn of events on the House floor, he pulled the legislation. In a statement released moments ago, he said, "The House did not take up the tax measure today because it did not have sufficient support from our members to pass." Boehner lost. 
  
 Plan A, which was a deal with Obama, was put on ice, many believe, because Boehner couldn't wrangle the votes to pass anything Obama would sign. Plan B failed because Boehner couldn't wrangle the Republican votes to pass something Obama had sworn he wouldn't sign. 
  
 The failure of Plan B proved something important: Boehner doesn't have enough Republican support to pass any bill that increases taxes -- even one meant to block a larger tax increase -- without a significant number of Democrats. The House has now adjourned until after Christmas, but it's clear now what Plan C is going to have to be: Boehner is going to need to accept the simple reality that if he's to be a successful speaker, he's going to need to begin passing legislation with Democratic votes. 
  
 There's an asterisk there, though: It's not entirely clear whether Boehner will be the speaker of the House a month from today. The vote to elect the next speaker is on Jan. 3. To win, you need an absolute majority of the House, not a plurality. Even a hopeless conservative challenge that attracts only a handful of Republican votes could deny Boehner the speakership until a consensus candidate emerged. Tonight's vote makes that challenge more likely. 
  
 A significant number of Boehner's members clearly don't trust his strategic instincts, they don't feel personally bound to support him, they clearly disagree with his belief that tax rates must rise as part of a deal, and they, along with many other Republicans, must be humiliated after the shenanigans on the House floor this evening. Worse, they know that Boehner knows he'll need Democratic support to get a budget deal done. That means "a cave," at least from the perspective of the conservative bloc, is certain. That, too, will make a change of leadership appealing. 
  
 If a conservative spoiler runs, he or she could very possibly deny Boehner the 218 votes he needs to become speaker, clearing the way for a consensus candidate like Eric Cantor to unite the party. It's hard to say exactly how likely that is. But it's likelier than it was, say, this morning. ||||| Has there been a House speaker in modern American history with less control over his members than John Boehner? 
  
 Sad trombone. (Charles Dharapak / AP) 
  
 Over the past three days, Boehner has focused all attention on "Plan B": an effort to strengthen his hand in negotiations with President Obama by passing backup legislation that would extend the Bush tax cuts for all income under $1 million. 
  
 Tonight, Boehner lost that vote. In a dramatic turn of events on the House floor, he pulled the legislation. In a statement released moments ago, he said, "The House did not take up the tax measure today because it did not have sufficient support from our members to pass." Boehner lost. 
  
 Plan A, which was a deal with Obama, was put on ice, many believe, because Boehner couldn't wrangle the votes to pass anything Obama would sign. Plan B failed because Boehner couldn't wrangle the Republican votes to pass something Obama had sworn he wouldn't sign. 
  
 The failure of Plan B proved something important: Boehner doesn't have enough Republican support to pass any bill that increases taxes -- even one meant to block a larger tax increase -- without a significant number of Democrats. The House has now adjourned until after Christmas, but it's clear now what Plan C is going to have to be: Boehner is going to need to accept the simple reality that if he's to be a successful speaker, he's going to need to begin passing legislation with Democratic votes. 
  
 There's an asterisk there, though: It's not entirely clear whether Boehner will be the speaker of the House a month from today. The vote to elect the next speaker is on Jan. 3. To win, you need an absolute majority of the House, not a plurality. Even a hopeless conservative challenge that attracts only a handful of Republican votes could deny Boehner the speakership until a consensus candidate emerged. Tonight's vote makes that challenge more likely. 
  
 A significant number of Boehner's members clearly don't trust his strategic instincts, they don't feel personally bound to support him, they clearly disagree with his belief that tax rates must rise as part of a deal, and they, along with many other Republicans, must be humiliated after the shenanigans on the House floor this evening. Worse, they know that Boehner knows he'll need Democratic support to get a budget deal done. That means "a cave," at least from the perspective of the conservative bloc, is certain. That, too, will make a change of leadership appealing. 
  
 If a conservative spoiler runs, he or she could very possibly deny Boehner the 218 votes he needs to become speaker, clearing the way for a consensus candidate like Eric Cantor to unite the party. It's hard to say exactly how likely that is. But it's likelier than it was, say, this morning. |||||
Student:
John Boehner has never looked weaker than he did last night, when Republicans refused to pass Plan B. It "was hardly the first public humiliation" Boehner's troops have dealt him, writes Steve Kornacki at Salon, but "it raises some very basic questions about the House speaker's political future—like whether he even has one." This is a speaker who doesn't even have the GOP votes to pass his own plan, let alone a compromise Obama would be willing to sign. If Boehner stays on as speaker, he's going to have to get used to passing things with Democratic votes—but that's a pretty big if. As Ezra Klein at the Washington Post points out, Boehner will need an absolute majority to win the Jan. 3 speaker election, which means that even a no-hope conservative challenger could derail him, clearing the way for, say, a consensus candidate like Eric Cantor to come forward. Kornacki, meanwhile, can imagine Boehner "just walking away, leaving the gavel for some other unfortunate soul." (Kornacki's full piece here; Klein's here.)