"any significant budget deal has to be revenue-positive."

It's about time, the Democrats drew their own line in the sand! Touche'!

There is NO WAY on earth they will balance the budget on 'cuts' alone & anyone who possesses an ounce of common sense KNOWS this!

Once again, President Obama is playing chess, while the right wingers are stuck on tic-tac-toe!

My understanding of a "deal" is when each party thinks the other got the better side of the bargain. So far the Republicans haven't given an inch while the Democrats have "given" in on $1.4 trillion in cuts. Time to step up Republicans and feel the pain on your end of the deal!

Oh yeah, lets all definitely be "positive." Seriously, I like hearing Ploufe get out front on this. Messenging has long been a weakness for the Prez and for Dems in general. Time after time they've had the superior message and failed to sell it. What the GOP is peddling makes no sense and is very hurtful to huge majorities of Americans, but lots of Americans who cannot afford to be Republicans line up for their koolaid based on short, concise, bumper siticker slogans because the truth is complex and often requires more than 140 characters. The very idea that they get away w/ proposing the death of real Medicare by farming it out to Insurance Companies at gigantic profits is jaw dropping enough. But to do it while defending big subsidies for oil companies making the biggest profits of any entity in the history of the planet, writeoffs for luxury corporate jets, GE paying 0 taxes and even receiving rebates, etc etc - phenomenal!

When these loopholes and tax code gifts are even brought up, they then maintain that even if you cut them all out, it wouldn't be enough to make a difference. BS, it makes a difference to me!! If its no big deal, then just pay it! Over the last decade, the spendable income for the average American family has deminished EVERY year, the number of Americans living below poverty level has risen EVERY year, but the wealth of the very wealthy has gone up substantially EVERY year. So the answer is to fix the nation's financial situation is by asking more of the middle class and working poor? They've got a pair that won't fit in a #2 washtub for just being able to take that position w/ a straight face.

Corporations and extremely wealthy Americans are now taxed at the lowest levels in more than 50 years and these well meaning worker bees carrying signs "taxed enough already" don't seem to realize that its not THEIR tax advantage the Republicans are protecting.

I'd rather see taxes get raised to Clinton levels on everyone rather than see these republican bastards get away with murder again !!!

Hang tough Mr POS, Get ready to cave in, you have no choice. One and Done.

Let's see Senator Ron Johnson's books? Did his companies revenue increase in the years his business grew?

Or did Senator Johnson only rely on cuts to his business to grow his business?

John Cornyn, Texas' senior Senator, is a jerk as well as a Social Conservative. A "constitutional conservative", also called "Social Conservative" wants to limit government at the expense of the lower class, indigent, unemployed, retired with limited income and children. They do not believe in court houses or school for children. To bear arms anywhere smacks of the "Wild West" or frontier times. They do not care for the poor, or helping those more dependent or grandparents on limited income. They want to force their God down onto the masses whether they want it or not. They do not care if you are of their religion or not! This thought process is the same as "Radical Islam" in every sense of the word! America is a socially civilized peoples with multiple ethnic and religious groups living side by side. "Constitutional conservatives" do not want this to be the norm in America. "Constitutional conservatives" do not want compromise of any kind. In the Constitution, it states freedom of religion and yet these extremist would force their own beliefs onto others. They do not care for the tradition of moderation, compromise, and an accommodation of differences. Berkowitz has written, Reagan’s rhetoric deploring "unnecessary and excessive growth of government" implicitly conceded that there could be necessary and appropriate growth, and he in fact allowed taxes to rise and government spending to grow above inflation without sacrificing his principles. These guys want to limit taxes for the super-rich at the expense of the everyday American! Tea Partiers are actually for something. They want a world where each household is responsible for its own place on the socioeconomic ladder, even if it means some will fail. They are for local communities determining what values their schools will inculcate, and they want the virtue taught by Christianity and Judaism to play a central role. Tea Party rhetoric is also infused with generosity towards the needy, but through voluntary -- not coercive -- giving, allowing for individual caring and the building of bonds that bridge across social differences. This appears to be supported by action, largely through churches. The current Congress(the 112th Congress) has failed to enact any legislation since January resulting from "constitutional conservatives", also called "Social Conservatives" and the TEA party, who are more extreme!

The GOP is stonewalling to get as much as they can from the Dems, they want to avoid being raked over the coals by G. Norquist as long as possible. They know that it will be impossible to spin caving in on revenues/taxes in a way that he will accept.

It's been a terrific experience reading all the comments here and I wish you all would write to the White House saying exactly what you say here. It's my opinion that they listen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Don't you wish that we could get this country moving forward again? Whatever it takes, let's see it done!