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Even before voters finished casting ballots in House races across the country, the Republican leadership in the chamber began girding for a major battle over taxes and spending in the weeks after the election.
Confident that Republicans would retain their majority in the House, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told POLITICO that GOP lawmakers would reject any new taxes on households in the highest income tax bracket.
"We’re not raising taxes on small-business people," Boehner said. "Our majority is going to get re-elected ... We’ll have as much of a mandate as he will — if that happens — to not raise taxes."
Al Behrman / AP
Speaker John Boehner talks with reporters outside Ronald Reagan Lodge after voting, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in West Chester, Ohio.
Consider Boehner's comments the first public salvo in a coming battle over how to best address the so-called "fiscal cliff," the mixture of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect at the beginning of 2013.
Recommended: First Thoughts: Decision Day
The fiscal cliff involves the expiration of the 2001 Bush tax cuts for all tax brackets and a two-year payroll tax cut, both of which are scheduled to sunset at the end of this year, barring action by Congress. Also set to take effect are the automatic spending cuts set forth in the 2011 debt ceiling deal, which were designed to be so distasteful that lawmakers would reach a compromise on how to best address mounting U.S. debt.
A standoff between the Obama administration, a Democratic Senate and a conservative Republican House of Representatives yielded no deal, leaving the fiscal cliff in its stead. Economists have warned that, if nothing happens to change those deadlines, any economic recovery would be imperiled. Moreover, the cuts fall heavily upon the defense budget, a cut which military leaders have warned could endanger American security.
GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan votes at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin.
This gridlock might dissipate if voters elect Romney as president on Tuesday. But if Obama wins a second term and the Senate stays in Democratic hands, the stalemate that helped produce so much disillusionment and nastiness this election could rear its head again in the coming weeks.
"You have to do something, and the best way to do it is by growing the economy," California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republicans' whip in the House, said Tuesday on MSNBC. "Now, we are going to have a fiscal cliff between now and the end of the year -- from the debt limit to the looming tax increases to sequestration. But all those ideas have been passed by the House to solve those. It's the Senate that has not acted."
That rhetoric might sound familiar to any reader who has tracked the incessant bickering between the Obama administration and Congress over the past two years.
But amid the bluster that has begun to emerge from Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama's team seemed more upbeat.
Before the president made his way home to Chicago, he made one final campaign stop where his journey to the Oval Office began – in Iowa. Obama Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs discusses.
"This election, when the president's re-elected, should break this fever of Washington gridlock," Obama adviser Robert Gibbs, the former White House press secretary, said on MSNBC. "It's time that Republicans come to the table and understand that we've got to get something done on the big pressing issues of our time."
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The MSNBC Hosts are part of the 1% not the 99%
May 24, 2011 – TV and radio personality
Ed Schultz has a lot to be jovial about, with an estimated net worth of
approximately $11.5 million
MSNBC news anchor Rachel Maddow, with an estimated net worth of
approximately 12.5 million dollars
Lawrence O'Donnell was born in Boston,
Massachusetts and has an estimated net worth of $8 million dollars.
Dec 9, 2011 – What is Chris Matthews' net worth? Chris Matthews' net
worth is $16 million dollars
What has this got to do with John B. not wanting to solve the problems. He will do anything to makeObama look bad. He and the rest of the republicans are racist. They will never gain the country back unless they become more accepting of the fact that there will never be a 1950's America again (go diversity). The rich 2% will not inherit the country.
All those who are on MSNBC work hard for their salaries and they are for ending the tax cuts that increase the deficit. They are not for all the immoral cuts that are in the Ryan Budget. Democrats have common sense and are not ruthlessly signing fealty to Grover Norquist against tax increases for millionaires and billionaires. Democrats are for fairness and just policies, not for corporate greed and corruption. I will always support Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews and Lawrence O'Donnell because being rich does not mean being selfish, greedy and corrupt. Being wealthy does not mean being venomous and mean. Being wealthy does not mean being anti-American or full of spite against the poor.
If Romney is elected he will be a boss-in-chief for the 1% and not the President for the 100% . He and the Republican House will refuse to compromise on their programs and will insist on a tax cut for the rich. The Democrats in the Senate will refuse to go along and we will have gridlock. Remember it only takes one or two Democratic Senators to filibuster and lock up the Senate like the Republicans did requiring 60 votes on everything. This article here shows that the Republicans will refuse to compromise on raising taxes on the wealthy and they will insist on dismantling the social programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, the minimum wage, workers rights, limit women's control over their health decisions.
The Democrats will refuse to go along and we will have grid lock. Romney is not a solution to anything. He will only create more problems for the economy by his backwards policies. His economic policies are not working in Europe nor did they work under Bush. His policies lead to a deep recession, just like Hoover and the Republican Presidents before him led to the Depression.
Forget Romney. Vote Obama.
It's good to be rich!................You get all this really neat stuff!
That's the spirit John.....You and your ilk are by far and away the most unreasonable representatives this country has ever had the misfortune deal with. Start compromising or you will find yourself on the short end of the vote. I, for one, am sick of your no can do attitude.
looks like eddie munster is already asking his daughter for advice.
It is time for NEW LEADERSHIP in congress!!!!! When will the rest of the Congressmen (SHEEP) stand up and elect NEW LEADERSHIP!!!!
Everyone should demand that their represenatives rally to kick out the old and elect leadership that isn't soo entrenched in PARTY lines, of the OLD members, and do what is right for the american people, the people that elected them to REPRESENT THEM!!!
I have emailed my representatives..... You should bombard yours!!!! NEW LEADERSHIP!!!! Regardless of who is elected President!!!!
I can get you new leadership will that make you happy? Or, is what they have told to do and say that really bothers you. How about Eric Cantor for Leader or Allen West.
Jesus, John. Can you give us a break from POLITICIANS and their BULLSH!T for just a few hours?
You know..like....STFU!
"Whoever people support, seeing Obama's last campaign speech ever was a moment in American history."
No, Obama's dishonesty at the second presidential debate (claiming he called Benghazi an "act of terrorism" on September 12th, when an excerpt from a CBS 60 Minutes interview later that same day, but released only yesterday, 11/5, clearly shows that he did not take that position about it) was a moment in American history. So was Clinton's "I did not have sex with that woman" statement.
That's really hurt Clinton's standing these days, hasn't it.
Guess you all did not read the interview last week with Harry Reid in the Washington Times. He says that if Romney is elected that he will not work with him at all. Sounds like something we have heard before.
In as much as the GOP has obstructed and tried to make things as difficult as possible for Obama, give me ONE reason why Reid should work with them.
Both sides agreed to the "fiscal cliff" and sequestration; so here it comes. But don't worry, the boneheads will be forced to get together and fix it in January or February, just before the government and the economy hits the ground in splinters. Of course, Obama will try to take credit for rescuing the country, even though he is largely powerless, except through his misuse of executive orders. In the meantime, the stock market will lose ground, the economy will stall and unemployment will go up again. Happy New Year!
To whom much is given, much is expected. The tax rate was 91% as WWII cam to an end. And te post-war boom was terrific! Boehner and Kantor should be removed from their office. They are a disgrace, financed by Corporate America - whoops, make that Global Corporate dontraisemytaxes America.
By Boehners statement you can tell he is as sure of keeping the House as he is of losing the Presidency.
With a Democratic Presidency and A Democratic Senate, STUFF "Boner's" head in the DIRT!
Make Republican pea-brains eat dirt and they'll raise taxes on the rich soon enough!
About time these Republican morons start answering to THE PEOPLE!
The stalemate won't discipate if Romney is elected...at least not until Romney is inagurated. During Obama's last 3 months in office, he will do nothing that will help Romney. I believe he will do just the opposite. He will likely veto any thing that does not include a tax hike. He will have absolutely nothing to loose. Remember, Obama does not like to loose. He's vendictive and and has a retalitory personnality.
Why shouldn't he, he only delt with the worst congress in the past 100 years for the past 4 years. So you expect him to be the adult in the room after 4 years of dealing with a bunch of baby's. The republicans (a former one here) have ushered in a new type of politics that might last for decades. In the old days the 2 sides could at least get a long enough to do what is right. Not to be dramatic but this really could be the downfall of democracy. Democracy isn't suppose to be about dividing people. that that what both sides do now and I blame the Republicans for taking it to a new level. See their comment 1 day after the election that their goal was to make Obama a term president. I didn't hear them say anything that day about solving the nations problems.
yet another result of obama's stellar first (and only) term. this from the legatum institute in the UK:
The United States is no longer one of the world's ten most "prosperous" countries for the first time according to the Legatum Institute.
The Legatum Prosperity Index assessed and ranked the prosperity of 142 countries based on eight sub-categories: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, health, governance, education, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital.
the United States now ranks 14th.
Boehner is doing what he was elected to do,limit the damage the Bozo in the white house does to the deficit.He has done a great job and will continue to fight for all Americans and their children.If it wasn't for him we would be up to 20 trillion in debt by now,which would be as Obama said"shameful".
you scare me, how far right of a guy are you. you must be so far out there you can't see the woods from all the guns you have built up in your bunker
There will never be a tax hike on the wealthiest because I said so and if you don't like it then go to the other side we are tired of RINO and we don't need moderate compassionates.
I hate Grover Norquist.
Republicans may win the senate too so maybe some of these bills will actually be brought to the senate floor for a vote now.
So Boner is going to have a mandate not to raise taxes? What happened to his mandate to create jobs?
That got morphed into inspecting lady parts.
It is about one million people who are millionaires today in USA. And it is about 420 people who are billionaires. Are they small business? Romney is unemployed, but paying taxes, and he is neither small business owner nor big corporate CEO; he is just unemployed.
GOPers are little bit incoherent, and the tax that we are going to raise is not about small business. We are talking about a fair share of paying income tax. If Romney pays 14% of income tax in which he has said that is too much for him. What about those are poorer than him are paying 17% and up income tax rate.
A fair share, paying tax, is not targeting any business. Or we can all pay 14% like Romney. That is good. But can our government afford the top 2% pay only 14% or less income tax rate? The history has told us since former President Bush that it has failed.
Raise the income tax rate to the wealthy, or just like those who pay 30% income tax rate, which is a fair share.
Please re-elect President Obama.
FORWARD! Re-elect OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.
billie -- why do you suppose obama, reid and pelosi did not do something about taxes in 2008?
how do you define wealthy? is oprah wealthy? is obama weathy? -- why do you think obama did everything he could to minimize his taxes? thought he wanted the rich to pay more?
taxing the rich is not the answer. changing the tax code is. harry, barry and the nan were just negligent and should all be fired!
We are gonna win because Democrats are too lazy and wish washy to keep going to the polls and eventually we will win.
Wow!! Boehner another idiot GOP. The American people are tired of the Republicans behavior and most Americans will say go over the cliff.
Obama/Biden 2012
Did you just mention the word idiot and Biden's name in the same post.........hmmmm.......that's interesting........
Its pretty much the same old from the party of obstruction. quickly the speaker looks like he lost some weight looking good.
I lost weight along with many who were hurt by your obstruction in the wallet that is.
its given that the economy will create at least 7 million new jobs in the next 4 years unless of course someone or something does something to change that . Romney has already said he will do nothing on the economy,doesn't have to Bamma has set the stage for more jobs. so it looks like the somebody or something is tea party boehner and the tea party Taliban.we won't surrender and we won't quit bring it on you cantor lover you that's what you are .. so much for moving the country forward. oh yea some well to do's aactually put country before whaever your regifting
If the Republican are going to be nothing but obstructionists for four more years, they'll lose the House by 2016
No, they will lose it in 2014!!!!!!
If anything makes me secure about President Obama winning today it's John Boehner already talking about the House standing firm on his tax policy, oops I mean Grover Norquist's tax policy. He knows that's all he has going for him, four years of more obstructionism. That's fine - it just means we'll get another Democrat in the White House - go Hillary! Go Elizabeth! As long as these rigid bad-for-America good ole boys keep acting as if everyone but them don't matter, we'll win. So hey, go Boehner, desperation becomes you.
Not only will President Obama see The Boehner's bluff about letting the tax cuts expire, but he will also see the bluff on the Sequester.
The President knows that would be political suicide for a House or Senate member to let the Sequester stand, he just stood by and let them weave their own trap. It is not the president's responsibility to craft budgets, now the GOP wants President Obama to bail them out of that horrible decision to play a game of chicken. Good luck with that.
Again, Obama plays 3D chess while the GOP plays tiddleywinks.
Let it go over the cliff, we are rich , I got enough money to last it out.
First post ever. Way to go Andy!!