not necessarily new and first steps doing little despite support from the so-called insurgents, the gop so desperately needs. the main state coordinator calling the pledge, quote, a mealy-mouthed sop to the tea party movement that is rif with platitudes and little on substance. a nice pr piece but i don't think it is even showing up on our radar. conservatives on the sunday talk show circuit were equally critical. the house minority leader about the public sides with democrats, tax cuts for the rich. although boehner put it this way, if democratic leaders leave town without stopping all the tax hikes they are turning their backs on the american people, adjourning the congress without a vote to stop all the tax hikes will be a vote to raise taxes on the american people and destroy jobs. he failed to mention that republicans passed those tax cuts ten years ago with a built-in expiration date this year. mr. boehner demanded that democrats vote on taxes without using the suspension procedure. suspension would require a two-thirds vote. more on that in a moment.