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Subscribe to RSSFrom the beginning of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations, aides from both sides have said that November would be for saber rattling and December would be when a deal is put together between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner with Majority Leader Harry Reid’s blessing.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a press conference on Thursday attacked President Obama and the White House for not taking firm action in avoiding the so-called "fiscal cliff."
Well, consider comments from Boehner and Reid today to be the November saber rattling reporters were warned about.
In his weekly press conference Boehner called out Obama and the Democrats.
"The president has warned us about the dangers of going over the fiscal cliff, but his actions have not matched his public statements,” said Boehner, who acknowledged speaking with the president Wednesday night and called it “very nice” but “direct.” “Members of his own party seem quite comfortable sending the economy over the fiscal cliff."
Boehner said that no “substantive process had been made over the last two weeks” and that he was “disappointed” with the current state of the fiscal cliff negotiations. He also chided Democrats for not offering, he says, serious spending cuts in exchange for his promise of some increased revenue.
Republican leaders say they've put revenues on the table, but are waiting on President Barack Obama to give, and offer something up on ballooning federal retirement programs like Medicare. Fortune Magazine's Carol Loomis discusses.
Speaking later in the day, Reid took this blunt shot at Boehner: “I don’t understand his brain.”
Reid called for Republicans to make “a serious offer” and indicated that Democrats would not act until they heard Republican demands on cuts to entitlements.
Along with raising tax rates, entitlements are also a major sticking point in the negotiations. Neither side wants to be the first to put their fingerprints on any specific entitlement cuts due to the risk of a major public backlash from seniors.
Asked by NBC News what specific cuts to entitlements the GOP would like to see, Boehner pointed to previous budgets passed by the House GOP and rejected by Democrats, but he declined to be precise in what he wanted out of these negotiations.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures as he speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, after private talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the fiscal cliff negotiations.
“It's been very clear over the last year and half,” Boehner contended. “I've spoken to the president about many of them. If you look at our budget, where we outline very specific proposals that we passed in last year's budget and the budget before, we know what the menu is; we don't know what the White House is willing to do to get serious about our debt crisis."
Boehner dismissed an assertion that the talks had broken down, but his tone was far from optimistic. Wall Street is hoping to see a deal reached, is paying close attention, and both sides are acutely aware of that.
In what could be another potential headache for the White House, Boehner did not back down on his 2011 position regarding raising the nation’s debt limit, saying, “Any increase in the debt limit must be accompanied by spending cuts."
White House Spokesman Jay Carney said he was “surprised” by Boehner’s debt limit comments.
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I hope there is no agreement and taxes on every one goes up. No one has to do anything. It is just there.
You take 4 Trillion as they are in law that is passed and to take same amount little different way is same thing. Ultimately it is going to come from ordianry people's pocket as it normally does.
Why waste time and go to heartache and headache. Just relax , enjoy hoilidays and things willl settle down, people will get used to it and life will go on.
Even when Kennedy was killed, life went on after little shock. Huma beings have great capacity to make bygone the bygones.
just amazing. The king of obstruction trying to paint a picture of interest. For the last four years he and Mitch have nothing but try to paint us into a corner and now they want to smell the roses. We know you for what you are Mr. Bohner. And the nation is watching your party to see if you continue to drive us to financial ruin to advance your politics.
My question to the FLEEBAGGER LIBTARDS is where are the spending & entitlement cuts & then we will talk, not until !!!! The FLEEBAGGERS are known for saying they will do a tax increase now & work on the spending & entitlement cuts after, the FLEEBAGGERS did this to Reagan & Bush Sr. & the cuts never were done, so the FLEEBAGGERS are not to be trusted in the least !!!! FLEEBAGGERS put their cuts on the table first or let the economy go off the cliff !!!!
We Republicans will fix it when we take over congress in 2014, FLEEBAGGERS will not learn unless we make them suffer like they are making the 53% suffer who actually pay taxes !!!!! I say if we go off the fiscal cliff that the 53% who pay taxes stop paying them & let the 30% of FREELOADERS go @pe sht when their FREE GOVERNMENT CHEESE gets cut off !!!!!!
Love your ability to turn a phrase. Clearly an openminded thinker. Tell me which of your party has authored legislation to change what you call entitlement programs. They have not and wont because they need the votes. In 2014 you wont see a standing Republican if something isnt fixed. Your party has driven us to the edge over and over. Your party was handed a balanced budget when Bush took office. You are the issue.
It was done in the Ryan budget that the Democrats in the Senate and Obama rejected.
Furthermore, there was no surplus and we were in a recession that began during 2000 (the Clinton Administration)
there was NO Surplus under Clinton- the Debt increased every year of his presidency
Clinton’s Chairman Of Council Of Economic Advisors, Joseph Stiglitz, Said Recession Started During Clinton’s Tenure. “It would be nice for us veterans of the Clinton Administration if we could simply blame mismanagement by President George W. Bush’s economic team for this seemingly sudden turnaround in the economy, which coincided so closely with its taking charge. But … the economy was slipping into recession even before Bush took office, and the corporate scandals that are rocking America began much earlier.” (Joseph Stiglitz, “The Roaring Nineties,” The Atlantic Monthly, 10/02)
Stiglitz noted that during the Clinton Administration “the groundwork for some of the problems we are now experiencing was being laid. Accounting standards slipped; deregulation was taken further than it should have been; and corporate greed was pandered to ….” (Joseph Stiglitz, “The Roaring Nineties,” The Atlantic Monthly, 10/02)
“So the table itself, according to the figures issued yesterday, showed the Federal Government ran a surplus. Absolutely false. This reporter ought to do his work. This crowd never has asked for or kept up with or checked the facts. Eric Planin--all he has to do is not spread rumors or get into the political message. Both Democrats and Republicans are all running this year and next and saying surplus, surplus. Look what we have done. It is false. The actual figures show that from the beginning of the fiscal year until now we had to borrow $127,800,000,000. - Democratic Senator Ernest Hollings, October 28, 1999
Fleebagger Libtards?
And they wonder why they lost the election.
Great... Be sure to keep pushing that Ryan plan all they way up until the 2014 election, Larry.
Jager,
You have it wrong. Democrats and union thugs are 100% responsible for the destruction of this country (?Remember Frank and Dodd?)
Jager:
But Reopublican screw up and democrats cannot fix it. Republicans want to be srewing up more. What democrats are going to do. Take down pants and place ass in front of Republicans.
They do nto know how to fix once republican screw it up.
What says you?
I voted for Obama twice, and am NOT sorry for that. The Republicans are just SORE LOSERS. If I were Obama, I would let it go over the Cliff. The cliff was agreed upon a long time ago. The cliff is really just a little slope. It would be good for America. The cliff only takes us back to where Clintons taxes were, and that was one of the best times in America. Republicans are terrible people.
How about the dem moochers work their fair share? They did not earn anything until they work. Obamacare and other entitlements need to be eliminated
I expect the republicans to become even more incoherent than this as we approach the fiscal cliff.
Again we hear from the braintrust. Firstly, Obamacare has not launched yet and has not cost you a dime. The entitlements you refer too include SSI and Medicare. You ready to give your's up for the cause. Step up and put your money where your mouth is.
OICY;
But Republcian in the process will screw Obama. Obama cvannot deal with Mitchell even. How can he deal with Republicans
Obama must be impeached,
Dem moochers?
I'm a Democrat and I'm certainly no moocher.
So there goes that argument, though truth be told it was a simplistic argument at best.
Here's some advice: Learn to lose.
JAGER
Starting Jan. 01,2013 your taxes go up if you have a FSA or a HSA pre-tax medical savings account. It is in the PPACA. This tax affects EVERYONE who has one of these accounts. This increase in taxes is know as the Special Needs Children Tax since the people who used these medical savings accounts generally have Special Needs children..
You obviously don't have a clue. There are millions of retirees like me who worked for 40 or 50 years or more. We paid taxes on our income and paid for medicare. We depend on our entitlements, because we paid for them, we earned them and now we are collecting. We are not lazy moochers! I for one am a retired executive who earned a Ph.D.. My son is an electrical engineer and my daughter is an emergency room doctor. We are not losers. If you would start doing your homework instead of listening to right wing propaganda, you might find out that Obamacare might turn out to be one of the best things to happen in a generation. Hawaii passes a similar law in 1974. Their medical costs are much lower than anywhere else in the nation and they have the highest life expectancy in the nation. You don't hear about that. Finally, the idea of Impeaching a president who is doing his job and has maintained the highest standards of professionalism is a joke. What grounds would you use? Maybe because he is Black? Get over it!
Lets move the debate away from cutting Social Security and Medicare and talk about the programs that drain our resources. Lets talk about fraud, waste and abuse. Programs for the poor have a place in our society. We have a moral responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves. Welfare, Food Stamps and Medicaid should provide for those who, through no fault of their own, can’t support themselves. They were intended to provide support for those who can’t provide for themselves rather than those who won’t or don’t want to work. They were never intended to allow a girl who gets pregnant at 15 to set up her own household and have three more kids before she turns 21 while living on food stamps and ADC. Parents have a responsibility for their children and a pregnant teenager is her parent’s problem. There are many other examples. One of my pet peeve is “disability payments” or SSI. There are a lot of truly disabled people who must have help. There are also a lot of people who claim back problems, knee problems or other hard to disprove conditions who are abusing the system. Obesity is not a disability. Obesity can be debilitating, but there is a cure and it is self inflicted. No disability payments! No SSI. Get on a diet and get back in shape and support yourself. There is a place for some temporary medical help, but no long term disability. The advocates for the disabled have created a nightmare by redefining conditions. (e.g. people are no longer called retarded, they are autistic. You get more money that way) My position is, if someone can function in this society and do things like drive a car, live on their own and do their own shopping, they are not disabled. Go get a job! If there are no private sector jobs, go to work doing jobs in a modern day Government work program fixing up parks, cleaning roadsides, building hiking paths, cleaning up and rebuilding our cities. Sort of like a CCC but with a much broader mandate. It could even be run by the Army like the CCC was. Discipline, job training, meals, a place to sleep, and a small pay check. Half of the money goes into savings or home to support dependents.
So, go after the waste, abuse and fraud. Restructure the safety net programs in a way that they create incentives to work. Create and enforce eligibility requirements for government assistance that force those who can support themselves to seek treatment, job training, or a better education and cut funding for programs that reward bad behavior.
Dale
What about the waste,abuse and fraud in SS,Medicare and Medicaid?
Dale T
Waste / Fraud: I've Run Across A Few -- As I'm Sure We All Have -- Professional Users And Losers -- Work
-- That Is A Four Letter Word To Their Ears -- I'd Like To See A Works Program Out There To Help Cut This
Out Of The System -- It Would Benefit All Of Us To Help Keep Costs In Line On Various Government Levels!
The CCC Worked For Us In The Past And Could Work For Us Now!
Work For Pay -- Yup -- The Free Ride Over!
Well, two things spring to mind... One, the Republicans and their policies of obstruction and obfuscation lost the election so maybe it's time to try another approach to working something out
(compromise anyone???) and the knuckleheads (Cantor, McConnell and Boehner) all signed off on the sequestration with great fanfare back when they thought they would win and could conveniently remake it in their own image after the election.
Much like the way they disavowed so called "Obamacare" after a Democrat was able to power through what was originally a Republican idea - It's all good until the other guy wins the election then it just becomes grist for the mill.
So sad and pathetic... I saw the movie Lincoln recently and was reminded about what it really takes to be an effective and convicted leader. Also reminded that in politics nothing much has changed.
well said.....
I agree, well said.
Jargon:
A dude in Illionis won divorce battle with his wife. Then he tried to run for a US senate and favord to win. But his ex wife made it stink and he had to withdraw and Obama won the elction to Senate in Illinois and the Prtesidency.
The loser cansurely do one think. Make it stink and amomist impossible for winner to do anything.
Remember that. It is rule in human affairs
So it appears the House Republicans are going to continue their same work ethic they had over the past two years, "Do Nothing" still my way or the highway GOP..
They think they had a bad election this year wait til 2014. Bring back my Moderate Republicans, Please???
This jerk needs to get a reality check. Try living on what the average American makes, pay taxes (not like the Bush cuts) and pay for your own health insurance (not insurance that we the tax payers provide) Hopefully the public will flood his e-mail with comments telling him what we really want not what the rich want!!!!!
Truth of the matter is, were already screwed to death, and Obama is just buying us a little enjoyment time before the collapse and we loose everything we have. So enjoy it for a little while and just get ready to stick your head between your knees and kiss your a** goodbye.
and by the way, “Remember Benghazi”
What in the world does Benghazi have to do with the nitwits and the budget crisis? You have got to turn off Beck and Limbaugh and do a little reading. Try educating yourself to the facts and stop the right wing rhetoric before we all go down in flames. McConnell and team wont fix a thing. They want to keep their jobs
I think you need to move to Costa Rica before it's too late.
Jager,
That's right. Dems do no wrong, they cover up treason scandals like Benghazi and Fast and Furious. Typical libtard/fleebagger rhetoric
Jager:
Obama can be charged with negligent homicide.
I want great home provided by Government, Free medical care and dfine dinign every evening.
Ask Obama to help pleae. He promised he will help middle class. I am a middle class
I would suggest a good class in reading and basic spelling
If you think these posts are something... Click on his handle and read his history. This moron is out of his f***ing mind!
Learn to spell.
Get rid of Boner!
He's disappointed that the Dems and the WH didn't just cave to everything they demanded and when the GOPTeaBags refused to even try to negotiate anything reasonable. Just like they did earlier this year that led to the current mess. True to the GOPTeaBag way of inept and failed governing, they created a huge mess with the earlier deficit talks, and now are doing all they can to create an even bigger one, which they will blame on the President when the talks fail. Which they are also doing all they can to make sure happens.
They have no intentions of trying to negotiate in good faith or find a real solution to the problem. They are only going to make their own usual "My way or the highway" demands that include holding the American people hostage and using them as pawns in their games of oneupmanship. When their demands and hostage fails they will blame the President, just as they have time and again before.
Only this time, they are likely to find themselves at the bottom of the abyss wondering what happened, just like they did on Nov 6, 2012 when Obama won, and they were left still holding their empty bag of hate toys.
Oh well here we go again..... Mitch McConnel offers no help, instead he continues to toss garbage comments. A man of his stature and intelligence should be helping America. He represents the reason the Republican party is dead. Boehner's strategy is to wait the President out, he has no honest intentions to negotiate. Our President re-elected (good or Bad) has the greatest nation in the world to lead, not to deal with nay sayers such as McConnel and Boehmer. But this is our doing, we kept them in place..... Now we pay
Can Boner get any more TAN? sheesh
Tan? I thought he looked more a shade of Orange.
Hopefully this is a sign that Republicans in the House are prepared to finally defend the Constitution and taxpayers from the communist Democrats.
But the House needs to just go forward with a budget plan that includes maintaining or even lowering taxes further while starting some basic entitlement reforms (raising age of eligibility and means testing) with some actual budget cuts.
The Federal Govt has never had a year to year reduction in spending and Obama has never proposed any reductions in spending (only lowering the rate of growth in spending).
Let the Senate then choose whether they will do their job for once and let Obama carry the burden as the head of the Democrat Party for what Reid and his fellow marxists in the Senate do with a bill from the House.
Please list all the spending cuts you wish to impose on America. Put it in writing for the 2014 election.
no problem- I'm a libertarian not a Republican
Instead of expanding socialism and totalitarianism in this country, let's try the Constitution and expanding liberty. We need representation in Congress and the White House that is committed to following the Constitution.
It should be the priority of good govt to repeal the 16th amendment and end corporate and individual income taxes, and the Estate Tax. They violate the principles of liberty our nation was founded upon
We need to abolish the Depts of Education, Energy, Health & Human Services, Labor, OSHA, EPA, Transportation, phase out SS & Medicare, abolish the Federal Minimum Wage, abolish the FCC, FDA, FTC, NLRB, return student loan programs back to private lenders, end all Food Stamp programs, Federal welfare, Federal unemployment insurance payments, Obamacare, and a host of other unconstitutional programs. These are all unconstitutional programs that promote a socialist totalitarian state. We need to get rid of the Federal Reserve and take back control of our monetary system.
Taking some of the steps above would reduce our deficit to near zero and reduce the debt by trillions
We need to institute a national sales tax like the Fair Tax proposal, and renegotiate all of our Trade Agreements and associations allowing for a renewed system of tariffs.
We need to remove ourselves from the UN and ask them to relocate to another country
We need to sell off some of the 245 million acres of Federal Lands. There are 10's of millions of acres of Federal lands that lie dormant and are not used for anything (I'm not referring to National Parks or Forests). In some states like Nevada, the US Govt is the largest landowner. Use that money to pay down our debt. Selling off this land would provide cash to the govt for debt reduction and would result in massive economic growth.
The Federal Govt needs to stop meddling into issues of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. Those are issues to be determined by the States
We can reduce defense spending by approx 10-15% through technological advancements and greater use of drones and special forces. This should also include removing the stupid ban on assassinations. While we have closed a number of bases in Europe, we could probably close the remaining bases in Germany without affecting national security.
Boehner’s in a no win situation. Democrats, the White House and the liberal media all are placing all of the blame on the Republicans while relinquishing almost nothing.
Let it crash. One day our deficit-spending government will follow suit.
Bohner is the problem Like in the summer of 2011. UGH
The bottom line is... Lets jump off this fiscal cliff together and lets take the republicans with us. The tax cuts for the middle class can be extended retroactively and wont cost us a thing. The rest we can sort out later based on it's individual merits. Lets each side take their cast to the America people and just in time for the 2014 election.
You numb skulls, who think the Republicans should smiply give Obama everything he wants and then HOPE the Democrats will be willing to even discuss cutting the spending, are fools. The only way to make any real progress, other then to destroy the USA, is to hold the President's feet to the fire. No cuts in spending, no increases in taxes.
Besides, the Presidents insistance on raising the tax "rates", without touching the loopholes, tells me, he has some big donors, who don't want their loop holes plugged. Just more cronyism on the part of the President.
You haven't got a choice. It's going to happen if no deal is reached. And Obama has no reason to cave at all.
John can't have his way, so he will just have to continue to pout!
We the people are tired of "business as usual" and sword rattling. We want long term fixes to medicare, social security, medical costs, income tax, wasted military spending and the rising deficit. Two bi-partisan groups have already done the heavy lifting. Domenici-Rivlin BiPartisan deficit reduction task force has already worked out plans with democrats and republicans on their work teams who are not working for re-election, but working to make our country strong again. No bandaids this time... google the D-R task force and look at their executive summary. It's good old American common sense. Set the budget right with a long term fix and watch as America digs its way out of a deep hole, real estate really stabilizes, we quit printing lots of FED BUCKS and the stock market takes off again. Take a look for yourself... it's all possible if our leaders actually LEAD.
I’m positive that the Dems aren’t taking spending seriously at all. Obozo is simply ridiculous! What are the cuts in spending? The Obozo’s are going to take another 21 day vacation to Hawaii again this year. Remember! The Obozo’s spent 1.4 billion in travel, protection, and jet fuel etc. etc. etc. etc. to live like King and Queen of England ( I was going to say K and Q of Djbouti) but I was being PC. The Obozo’s spent 1.4 billion last year on being King of the USA, but the entire Royal Family of Great Brittan only spent 58 million.
How about more work and less Obozo campaigning and vacationing. I billion dollars use to run a country for a year. Now a billion won’t get Obozo to Hawaii and Jay Z and date night in South Africa and back enough.. He needs a billion and a half.
Obozo doesn’t want to cut spending. He wants to increase spending on ludicrous wasteful big governement. Obozo wants to take your 401K and to help fund the gov’t, because all of the taxing the rich only feeds the big govt leviathan for 8 or 9 days
If you want spending cuts... Put the spending cuts you want to impose on America in writing!
OICY
Read the Republican Budgets for FY2012 and FY2013.
It appears to me that the "fiscal cliff" is of no significance or importance. If it were, then those having the responsibility and authority to do something about such a dire situation would be falling all over themselves fixing the problem. However, I recognize that these people, approx 535 of them, all should be fired for being irresponsible and nonperformance of duties.
I call BS. "Lack of substantive progress" is Boehner's singular motive. He isn't disappointed in the least.