Despite having 47 Democrats who pledged not to raise taxes on dividends and capital gains to pre-Bush tax cut levels, and 31 other Democrats who support a full extension of all Bush tax cuts, and despite GOP House leader John Boehner’s claim that he had the votes to settle the tax issue in the House today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned the U.S. House of Representatives until after the November elections.

The vote to adjourn was 210-209.

Boehner pleaded with House members not to adjourn. “Vote no on this adjournment resolution. Give Congress a chance to vote on extending tax rates,” he said. 

Among the 39 Democrats voting not to adjourn was Louisiana’s Charlie Melancon.

Pelosi’s office put out a rather peculiar North Korea-esque statement in response to Boehner after the vote. “After listening to House Republican Leader John Boehner’s speech on the House floor today, it is clear that Americans face a choice: keep moving America forward—or return to what Republicans themselves call the ‘exact same’ agenda of failed ideas that favored corporate special interests, pushed us to the brink of economic disaster and left the middle class and small businesses struggling,” it read.

One Congressman who did manage to create an advantage out of today’s dispiriting events was Indiana’s Mike Pence, who probably didn’t hurt his likely 2012 presidential bid with this speech today: