Focus on Obama as House abandons the Republicans’ fiscal cliff solution

The task of picking up the pieces of the fiscal cliff talks — and reassuring global financial markets — is likely to fall largely to President Barack Obama after Republicans abandoned their own proposed fix championed by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.

Boehner, the top Republican in Congress and Obama’s chief negotiating partner, failed to muster enough support from his fellow Republicans, who control the House, to pass his bill called “Plan B” on Thursday.

He had hoped to use it to pressure Obama in talks to avert the steep tax hikes and automatic government spending cuts slated to start taking effect in 11 days.