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Subscribe to RSSWith three weeks to go to avoid the fiscal cliff, President Barack Obama will travel to a Detroit auto plan and attempt to sell his plan to raise taxes on the top two percent of Americans.
The “fiscal cliff” end game… If there’s going to be a deal, Obama, Boehner, and Congress need to start the heavy lifting ASAP… Kristol vs. the Wall Street Journal on caving on the tax rates… Motoring! Obama delivers remarks at 2:00 pm ET at a Detroit Diesel plant in Redford, MI… And in Michigan, the president will set foot in the state featuring the nation’s latest labor battle… The hits keep on coming for Susan Rice… The upcoming immigration push… Hillary and 2016… And meet Markwayne Mullen.
*** The end game: We’ve told you that the last couple of weeks in Washington’s fiscal debate have mostly been about P.R. and posturing. Like a student in college or a reporter working in the news business, the real work in Congress typically doesn’t happen until there’s a real deadline that’s rapidly approaching. Well, we’ve now entered that deadline phase in the negotiations between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. If the plan is to get something passed by Friday, Dec. 21 (right before the Christmas holiday), then the legislation has to be written by Dec. 18. And that means that Obama and Boehner must reach an agreement by Dec. 14-15, if there’s going to be a deal. So the time for posturing and P.R. is over. This week, we’ve reached the phase where both sides will begin rolling up their sleeves to do the heavy negotiating. Both Obama and Boehner know this, which is why they did meet behind closed doors yesterday. The question now is: Will there be a BIG deal that includes serious entitlement hits in addition to major tax reform? Or will it be JUST taxes and a punt until the debt ceiling? There’s not much of an “in between” at this point.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, talks with reporters outside his office in the Capitol Dec. 7, 2012 in Washington, DC.
*** Kristol vs. the Wall Street Journal: In addition to yesterday’s news that the president and the speaker met, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) became the latest GOP lawmaker to suggest that Republicans acquiesce on raising tax rates on the wealthy to get entitlement cuts. And that’s a stance the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page today criticizes. “So it's a shame that Republicans are playing into Mr. Obama's hands, negotiating in public among themselves, prematurely giving up on the tax issue and undermining House Speaker John Boehner in the process. Mr. Obama isn't going to blink on the budget if he thinks Republicans are going to blink first, and so far the emerging GOP position seems to be to surrender on taxes first and hope Mr. Obama will have mercy on them later on entitlements.” But the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol hits back at the Journal. “Most Republicans will go along soon after January 1 with what will now be the Democrats' tax cutting agenda. If the House Republicans now follow the Wall Street Journal editors over the cliff, the only effect, I'm afraid, will be to turn a manageable tactical retreat in December into a panicked strategic rout in January.” There is good news for Boehner in all of this: The lack of consensus among conservatives gives Boehner more running room to cut the deal he thinks is best, rather than over-worrying about specific conservative constituencies. Remember, the House GOP leadership won’t say it publicly, but they’ve signaled privately that under the RIGHT circumstance, they’d go to the floor of the House with less than a majority of the majority.
Former Michigan Republican Governor John Engler, who is the president of the business roundtable, joins The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd to talk about President Barack Obama's trip the Michigan, the fiscal cliff, and Michigan's 'right to work' law.
*** Motoring! Your White House fiscal-cliff photo-op of the day takes place in Michigan, where the president delivers remarks at a Daimler Detroit Diesel plant at 2:00 pm ET in Redford. Per the Detroit Free Press, Daimler, which owns Detroit Diesel, is announcing “a new investment to expand U.S. production and jobs... The White House said the investment is expected to be $100 million or more and, with it, Daimler Trucks North America will become the first heavy-duty vehicle equipment manufacturer on the continent to build a fully integrated powertrain from on production facility.” So today’s even will be a mixture of the fiscal cliff and this Daimler news.
*** Michigan’s labor battle: Yet when Obama visits Michigan, he’ll be setting foot in the state featuring the nation’s latest labor battle. “With Michigan lawmakers poised Tuesday to give final passage of right-to-work legislation, unions and their supporters plan to mass outside the Capitol that day as part of a last-ditch bid to derail the fast-moving campaign to limit labor's power,” the Detroit News says. “If lawmakers reconcile the bills and pass a final version Tuesday — as expected — Gov. Rick Snyder has said he will sign it, making Michigan the 24th right-to-work state and dealing a major blow to organized labor in one of its traditional strongholds.” Out of all the new Republican governors who were elected in 2010, Michigan’s Rick Snyder was always viewed as the least ideological of the bunch. So when Scott Walker in Wisconsin, John Kasich in Ohio, or Rick Scott in Florida were pursuing controversial changes and legislation and confronting the labor movement, Snyder -- who calls himself “one tough nerd” -- stayed away from the ideological wars and focused on the economy. In fact, he even appeared to support Obama’s auto bailout. But now the Michigan governor finds himself knee deep in the same kind of controversy we saw in Wisconsin and Ohio. By the way, while we do expect Snyder to greet the president at the airport, don’t expect to see Snyder with the president at the Chrysler event because it’s taking place at a UAW facility.
*** Hits keep coming for Rice: It’s no longer Benghazi, or even the Keystone XL Pipeline. Critics of Susan Rice are now pointing to the Obama administration’s failure to intervene in the atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The New York Times: “Specifically, these critics — who include officials of human rights organizations and United Nations diplomats — say the administration has not put enough pressure on Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, to end his support for the rebel movement whose recent capture of the strategic city of Goma in Congo set off a national crisis in a country that has already lost more than three million people in more than a decade of fighting. Rwanda’s support is seen as vital to the rebel group, known as M23.” And the Times reports that Rice has been viewed as shielding Kagame. And then there’s a New York Times op-ed from journalist Salem Solomon, who accuses Rice of showing “a surprising and unsettling sympathy for Africa’s despots.” This is the problem for Rice as long as President Obama doesn’t officially appoint her (or John Kerry) to fill the secretary of state position: She’s dangling like a piñata for critics to whack, without an official campaign to defend her. But with the fiscal cliff taking up more and more time and this secretary of state issue becoming such a headache for the administration, there’s a very real chance the president doesn’t announce any new cabinet members until AFTER the new year.
*** The upcoming immigration push: Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times noted that the Obama White House is preparing for a big push on comprehensive immigration reform after the “fiscal cliff” negotiations end. “Senior White House advisors plan to launch a social media blitz in January, and expect to tap the same organizations and unions that helped get a record number of Latino voters to reelect the president. Cabinet secretaries are preparing to make the case for how changes in immigration laws could benefit businesses, education, healthcare and public safety. Congressional committees could hold hearings on immigration legislation as soon as late January or early February.” More: “Democratic strategists believe there is only a narrow window at the beginning of the year to get an initiative launched in Congress, before lawmakers begin to turn their attention to the next election cycle and are less likely to take a risky vote on a controversial bill.”
*** Hillary and 2016: On Sunday, the New York Times ran a “Hillary 2016” story, and we all should prepare for these kind of stories once a month until she decides to run (or not) for president. “Right now, aides and friends say, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s plan looks like this: exit the State Department shortly after Inauguration Day and then seclude herself to rest and reflect on what she wants to do for the next few years. Those who have invited her for 2013 engagements have been told not to even ask again until April or May.” The Times does make this important point: If she does want to keep the presidential door open, her options are limited. “The more serious she is about 2016, the less she can do — no frank, seen-it-all memoir; no clients, commissions or controversial positions that could prove problematic. She will be under heavy scrutiny even by Clinton standards, discovering what it means to be a supposedly private citizen in the age of Twitter. With the election four years away — a political eon — she will have to tend and protect her popularity, and she may find herself in a cushy kind of limbo, unable to make many decisions about her life until she makes the big one about another White House try.”
*** Meet Markwayne Mullin: NBC’s Carrie Dann has profiled 10 new members to watch in the next Congress. Today’s profile: Markwayne Mullen. When his father's illness forced Mullin to quit college and take over the family plumbing business, the 20-year-old and his wife turned a flailing enterprise into a small eastern Oklahoma empire. Mullin, now 35, won the House seat vacated by retiring Rep. Dan Boren, running under the banner "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!" The Tulsa native -- a social conservative who vehemently opposes "amnesty" proposals -- has promised to take a no-frills attitude to the halls of Congress. Casually dressed on election night, he joked with supporters that he defied his campaign staff's request that he wear a suit to deliver his victory speech. "They got me this far, and boots are going to take me all the way there and bring me all the way back" from Washington, he said.
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Republican'ts don't see the irony of being held hostage by a LOBBYIST!
Apparently neither do the constituents of these teabagging obstructionists.
DionysusOmega: one of the largest lobbyist groups are the trade unions...who, as I am sure that you know...supported Barak Obama...now, that's what I call "irony".
So....by almost two thirds Americans want to raise taxes on the wealthiest.
So does Obama.
So what is the problem?
Oh...that's right...the 112'th Congress...literaly the do-nothing Congress.
Ducky!
I agree with you but tell me how the increase which equates to 80 Billion is going to help a 16 TRILLION dollar debt???????
Thank you, Robert... because raising taxes does nothing Dionysus.
The interest on our debt is 225B per year. Raising taxes will generate about 85B.
Do the MATH!!!!!
DionysusOmega
.85% spending cut? Free reign over the debt ceiling?
What exactly did President Obama offer the Republicans?
If everyone agrees to extending tax cuts to the 98%, why does President Obama tie things in to make it a bad deal?
Oh yeah... to get his way within the "tax the rich" tour.
gee, 2/3rds of the people want to take money from someone who has more than they do? what a surprise. thank goodness we have a representative republic, instead of a straight democracy, where the mobs can vote themselves other people's property. this mentality should scare you. when we run out of the rich people's money, who will they take from next?! my guess is you and me...
Then senator Oblamo.
The fact that we're here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign
of leadership failure. Leadership means 'The buck stops here.' Instead,
Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our
children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of
leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to
increase America's debt limit.
Robert: "I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit."
So did BO-DUMBO in 2006 but now it's ok, and the Democrat's called Mitt R a flip/flop, talk about Mr. BO-DUMBO = FLIP/FLOP:
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion.That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion. Numbers that large are sometimes hard to understand. Some people may wonder why they matter. Here is why: This year, the Federal Government will spend $220 billion on interest. That is more money to pay interest on our national debt than we’ll spend on Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. That is more money to pay interest on our debt this year than we will spend on education, homeland security, transportation, and veterans benefits combined. It is more money in one year than we are likely to spend to rebuild the devastated gulf coast in a way that honors the best of America. And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on. Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America’s priorities.
Senator Barack Obama
Senate Floor Speech on Public Debt
March 16, 2006
I am embarrased by the attitude of John Boehner and his Republican committee at their weakness. They have fallen right into Obama's hands on this tax deal. They have released members of their own committee tha are ultra consevative. This is a discrace to The American people. I hope groups like the Heritage foundation are letting Boehner know that we are not happy with him. Boehner has become a play toy for Obama and when he is done will throw him and the AMerican people away. It tells me a lot about the weakness of the so called conservative republican party I am sorry at this point I am Republican. I am a Cnservative American and I pray there are many more out there like me...
The Democrats out-maneuvered the Republicans when they set up sequestration.
500B in military cuts and tax increases across the board is EXACTLY what Obama wants.
So, it is a win-win for him. The only thing he doesn't get is control over the debt ceiling. If he gets that, it is game set match and America is doomed.
So let me see if I understand this correctly:
We borrowed the money from the Chinese for the stimulus this company (A123) received. Which means the Chinese get a company with no debt and at a bargain price and we still have to pay back the money we originally borrowed plus the losses with interest. I don't think I need to explain to anyone how bad that is.
Man...that Obama is a genius....we are SO lucky to have him at the helm
Robert that is totally untrue ,better do your homework. Seems I remember 2 great depressions under the republican party. 3's a charm.
How is that untrue? Obama granted A123 these funds to make batteries for the Chevy Volt, since Obama decided to use my tax money to by 1/3 of GM.
The Volt couldn't generate enough sales to create enough orders for batteries and A123 filed for bankruptcy.
Now China is buying the company and taxpayers will not receive any of the grant money in return.
So what is not true?
Just because MSNBC says everything bad about Obama is untrue doesn't make it so.
Facts are facts. Even if you close your eyes and wish real hard.
Oblamobots-question for you, you are clinging on to this tax the rich as the be all do all fix all scheme. Tell us how if it does pass, how the 80 billion its raises fixes the 16 TRILLION we are in the hole for or the 1.2 TRILLION Oblamo is spending a year???
True but every bit helps,
Normal people get into debt then stop spending and if they have to get more income so let's the cliff happen we will get through it...
Only Congress can spend! I think you need a couple civics classes.
Austerity Never Works
Are you suggesting President Obama should stay out of Congress' business?
Let go over the cliff its a 3% increase to everyone's taxes I know its going to hurt also it has lots of spending cuts that we need maybe since the Republicans are continuing to obstruct just call the bluff and let's go over and let them own it..
yeah dopey lets keeps spending money we dont have.
Oh you mean spending money on policing the world, more wars more ships more planes. We spend more then the top 15 countries combined... there's where a lot of our money goes.
lopez,
Just a quick fact check.
We spend more than the the top 20 other largest economies....combined...on defense.
What dlopez has some merit, except that it still isn't enough cuts.
And the taxes will crush the middle class, while I'll short the market when the recession kicks in.
Not to mention that taxes hardly create revenue. Each percent growth in economy will generate 500 billion in revenue. And raising taxes will crush the economy.
I think dlopez is a conservative at heart. When we go over the cliff, you will see why RAISING taxes never works during an economic recovery and LOWERING taxes and cutting spending always works.
My fault I thought it was 15 but hey it is still tooo much. Thanks for the correction
Remember that tons of technology and innovation comes from the military. Your GPS, planes, space shuttles, computers, etc. Most of the top 20 economies aren't a target of every Muslim fanatic. Let's see how safe you feel after a few more 9-11's.
great idea. lets get our military out of those countries who spend less (Europe) and let them defend themselves. then they won't have money for all their social programs, and will have to cut spending. then we will go, look what those Europeans have, and we will cut spending too, because we want to be European. lets eliminate our military, save 20% of our budget, will fix everything. oh yeah, and the 7% for taxing rich people. what, are we up to 27% now?
maybe we should cut the military, entitlements, and all of the government spending?
Everyone needs to know tax cuts for the wealthy don't stimulate the economy. It doesn't create jobs, demand for products increases job creation. Rich people are not going to build a factory or hire more people because of a tax break.
And to all the right wing GOP people who will respond with a Regan economy.
1. he lowered taxes from 75% to 28% so it's not the same as the 3% increase Obama is asking
2. he had huge government spending during that time
3. he ran up a huge debt
So before you claim Regan see what he really did
Also on the way out of office he raised taxes on the wealthy and on the middle class by closing tax deductions
With as much at stake as there is and time running out, it is disgraceful that our elected officials cannot get together to resolve the problems that they originally created. It took years to arrive at the fiscal cliff and now, like Lemmings, they are all prepared to jump off the cliff rather than do what is right. Trillions in debt just didn't happen overnight. At what point did anyone sound the alarm? Heck, my bank would have pulled my credit card long ago. It is totally irresponsible behavior and all the more reason for us to insist upon term limits for ALL elected officials so that we can clean house, and maybe elect better representatives that are not tied to special interest groups. We are expecting self made millionaires to understand what a balanced budget looks like when they never had to want for anything - please, give me a break. Washington is not about solving problems - it is about power - who has it and who does not. It is like watching a monkey fornicate a football.
What they fear is a return to Bill Clinton. While he's the only president to show a surplus in the last 40+ years, he did it by sending our business owners overseas. The legacy of hatred this engendered in the targeted nations is still with us.
But that's not the objection to Clinton type economics. The deal was that the western capitalists could go wild overseas, but leave the U.S. workers alone. However the real money is in the U.S., & as soon as they could, the capitalists perpetrated the Great Subprime Mortgage Scam & really cleaned up.
What Wall Street, the 1%, capitalists, whatever, want is someone who'll deregulate so they can rob us again. Then they'll demand that bailout. Someone like Clinton would raise a stink, & Obama might not go for another bailout.
On one hand they want our money, but on the other hand, they don't want to be remembered as criminals. So these negotiations will try to strike a nice compromise.
I see that one of the statements was "Obama sells Fiscal Cliff to the nation", My question is HOW MUCH DID WE PAY FOR IT?
HELLO, WHERE'S THE FEISTY REDHEAD WHEN WE NEED HER ?.....SOOO...we gave a HUGE bailout to yet another company at the President's insistence: this time it was A123 battery company. they got a $249,000,000 chunk of cash to right their ship by opening 2 plants in Michigan.
Guess what America?...Today after spending most of the money, they were bought out by a Chinese company.....HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU NOT HAVE GUARANTEES BUILT INTO THIS LOAN ARRANGEMENT?
Obama is a flat-out IDIOT; no way around that.....and this is our ENERGY POLICY?.....we are so screwed.
Ummm, what's the difference? If Mitt Romney would have bought A123, he would have shipped it to China, too!
saw the feisty one the other day. she was gay bashing.
WHAT ?.....that is crap, Obama is an idiot
Ever wounder what the real end game will be for the GOP?
It's playing out now,'haha hehe hoho soon they will all go back to the back woods in the dumb ass red states where they belong.
It also is quite obvious that your president Obama is over joyed at China buying up so much of American companies. I don't know what it is going to take for those that voted for him to see that Obama is not American minded at all , except in the fact of destroying it. Are people of this country so blend they cannot see the truth of this man. I am appauled at our stupidity. Time will show the results for all to see just what they got for poor judgement. It won't take long now.....
Have you ever considered that's part of the "deal" for the Chinese to keep buying our debt?
Yeah Robert leadership failure like Regan raised it 18 times Bush 7.
Let's go off the cliff,it is what is really needed.everyone gets what they want both parties will be blamed and the GOP signed it into law last year.......
One thing I know for sure...closing so called loopholes on the wealthy will never work and not increase revenue.
The wealthy simply find other loopholes.
DionysusOmega: these so-called "loopholes" that you are referring to are legal deductions that all of us that file a long form take advantage of...so, what's your point?
Nothing like a republitard to ruin Christmas,oh I mean the the scam they call the retail holiday.
Somebody on the left......(Feisty, Pigotry, Yhbua, MRABILITY,.....SOMEBODY read my post (#301) and tell me why we should be so happy to have this idiot in the White House
trouble...great point..
but feisty and her tribe hide from points like that....she would just respond,,well bush did it...
He has no control over how any company is going to succeed or not. Just more Fox (we got nothing else so let's say this, they believe everything else we say)
still have blinders on????
admitting you have a problem is the first step
Trouble, they know you are right. But they are embarrassed that they have been playing for the wrong team all these years. They are just realizing they voted for the same idiot TWICE. The first time they had an excuse... they didn't know how bad he would be... the second time???
So you will never get a response to a valid question. Just insults and name calling.
Exactly "Austerity"... that is why the government shouldn't invest in the free market with taxpayer money! When GM goes bankrupt next year for the second time... who will bail them out... NO ONE... they will be bought by China.
You see the ceiling is leaking... but you just keep spackling it. Why not get on the roof and fix the underlying problem.
Austerity, do you know how a company and business economis actually works? Government, including the presidente, have a very big role. Taxation rates, mandated health care benefits, various regulations, wages, are all input costs of business, along with input materials. if the cost of input exceeds the value of output, you go out of business. unless, of course, you are the US government, then the rules of economics dont apply...
@AUSTERITY: this has nothing to do with Fox, with Bush, with the Tea Party....none of them....and you know it....we are operating like a firing squad in a circle, there are GOOD business minds out here......BRING THEM IN AND LISTEN TO THEM. Obama has a JOBS COUNCIL, he needs to use them.
So let me see if I understand this correctly:
We borrowed the money from the Chinese for the stimulus this company (A123) received. Which means the Chinese get a company with no debt and at a bargain price and we still have to pay back the money we originally borrowed plus the losses with interest. I don't think I need to explain to anyone how bad that is.
Man...that Obama is a genius....we are SO lucky to have him at the helm
Hey Dems ,,,,... China is laughing at all of you. Your leader has played right into their hands. They are bypassing America's in every way. Thank you so much Obama for selling us out. You and your party are as stupid as stupid gets...
Who cares,I'm set free VA healthcare for life,great income off my business and investments,plenty of cash,and I'm only 48'
Haha hehe hoho dam I love this country,and I would love to pay alittle more in taxes before I sell my business,
don't brag. the angry mass will vote to take it all away. not fair if you have more...
Trouble
Your problem,you think you,matter,,haha hehe hoho,,your an as$ hole,,l,ao
What did I tell you Trouble... you throw out undenialable facts and get name calling in return.
The party of tolerance, understanding, generosity... whatever... the democratic party is the party of hatred and racism and discrimination.
@MRABILITY:....I called you out BY NAME, after school...in the yard, I punched you in the nose....and you ran away....like I knew you would
yhea...when obama was re-elected that put the closing touches on his destruction plan...
way to go dems..what you voted for,will be showing his ugly head SOON...
Hey repukes
China is laughing at you,,you have dumb fawking rednecks,and tea naggers in the house
The republicans threw away what should have been an easy win in the last election so the people most responsible for the reelection of President Obama are the republican leaders.
agreed. too much time spent on morality crap. can't overcome the freeloaders with that...