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Subscribe to RSSUpdated 2:21 p.m. -- Saying that Republican opponents should "take me out of it," President Barack Obama appealed Wednesday for compromise on the "fiscal cliff," urging GOP House members to put aside personal and political concerns after a week marked by the Newtown shooting tragedy and continued bickering over the nation's deficit woes.
Acknowledging that his most vehement foes live in conservative districts with little political "incentive" to back the Democratic president, Obama blamed Republican rank-and-file for personalizing the politics of possible deficit reduction plans.
Speaking at a White House news event, President Obama says that in order to reach a compromise on the fiscal cliff he "is prepared to do some very tough things." Watch his comments.
"I don’t know how much of that just has to do with [the idea that] it is very hard for them to say yes to me," Obama said at a press conference to announce a new task force to prevent gun violence. "But, you know, at some point, you know, they’ve got to take me out of it and think about their voters and think about what’s best for the country."
"If there’s one thing we should have after this week, it should be a sense of perspective about what’s important," he added, alluding to the Newtown shootings that left 26 dead, including 20 children.
Senior White House officials say that negotiations have stalled since yesterday, when House Speaker John Boehner introduced a "Plan B" stopgap measure that would raise tax rates for those making over $1 million annually but would not immediately tackle larger issues like spending cuts and defense "sequestration."
House Speaker John Boehner says that President Obama's offer in revenue and spending reductions fails the test of a balance approach.
The administration argues that the "Plan B" would mean that scores of wealthy earners would keep getting substantial tax breaks while 2 million Americans would lose unemployment insurance.
"That violates the core principles that were debated during the course of this election and that the American people determined was the wrong way to go," Obama said.
That premise, however, has been vigorously disputed by Republican leaders, who say that the “Plan B” legislation would immediately prevent tax hikes on the middle class, which the White House has always called its top priority in the negotiations.
In a brief statement to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Boehner said that his proposal will pass the House tomorrow, challenging Obama to instruct Senate Democrats to greenlight the backup measure as well.
"The president will have a decision to make," he said. "He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill, or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history."
NBC's Luke Russert joins Alex Wagner and the NOW panel to make sense of fiscal cliff dealings.
"The White House's opposition to a back-up plan to ensure taxes don't rise on American families is growing more bizarre and irrational by the day," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said earlier Wednesday. "Republicans have always said a broader, 'balanced' plan is the ideal solution, and we have put one forward. In the absence of a 'balanced' solution from the President, however, we must act to stop taxes from rising across the board in 12 days."
While Obama said he understands lead negotiator Boehner faces "challenges" within his caucus from rank-and-file members fearful of a primary challenge from the right, he accused GOP heavies of keeping on their "partisan war paint" long after Election Day.
"I think an environment needs to be created within not just the House Republican caucus but also among Senate Republicans that say the campaign is over, and let’s see if we can do what’s right for the country. At least for the next month. And then, you know, we can reengage in all the other battles that they’ll want to fight."
NBC's Kristen Welker contributed to this report.
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Obama's biggest problem is thinking the tea holes and republican'ts want to solve our country's problems....they don't! They don't want to bite the hand that feeds them...after all, when they are voted out of office, they'll become lobbyists.
Maybe if wealthy rightwing gun-nuts like Nancy Lanzo had to pay a little more in taxes they wouldn't be able to buy assault rifles for their messed-up spawn to "play" with. More money for infrastructure; less money for guns to kill 6-year-olds with. It's a win-win.
I say come to an agreement by Christmas, or people get fired and no pension! We are not paying these people for this mickey mouse b#ll sh#t. There are plenty who can take their place, I'm tired of these bureaucratic a##holes that get paid enormous amounts of money for doing nothing. If people started getting fired, then things would get done. That's the problem, congress don't fear the people and they should. Aren't we supposed to be their boss? If any employee at any job handled their work like congress does, they would be sh#t canned in no time.
I don't know how he get's to negotiate with POTUS. He's supposed to negotiate with the Dem leaders in the Congress they agree on "something" and when it's all voted on what get's passed it goes to the President and he either signs it or vetos it.
We have had half a dozen commissions with combination groups but he chose to ignore their recommendations. So here we are.
He's lucky he isn't negotiating with Pelosi-she'd hand him his balls and we'd be done and she'd be planning Christmas dinner and the President would be signing this and everyone in this country could have a better Christmas.
Again the GOPare f^ucking us in the ars AGAIN!!!
Is everybody bending over for their tax increases for New Years?
Don't agree with either proposal. The target number for raising taxes should be even lower than both are suggesting. The idea the middle class income is near $250,000 is a joke. Should be around $150,000. Both parties want a higher number to prevent a raise in their taxes or irritate their voter base.
Obama and many comments here is the same as the past 4 years. Blame the Republicans and accept no responsibility. Where is the Obama "spending cuts proposal"????? Is it non existent??? Want the other side to provide but he will not. I am certain his will include more cuts to Medicare and reduction in Social Security benefits. Middle class depends on these two benefits they have paid into and have earned over the years. Obama protecting middle class is pure and simple bulls@it.
Included in any spending cut proposals should be entitlements and federal employees pay, benefits, and retirement. The president and congress members (present and future) should be required to participate in social security. Without their private funded benefits perhaps they would exercise more caution and show interest in saving the plan. Any other group exempt should also be included.
One deduction that definitely need to be removed from taxes is the earned income credit. No politician can or will ever convince me that anyone deserves to get a return larger than the amount withheld from earnings. Return amount should be "0" and not more.
hey man..open your eyes...obama is a liar
bo's plan does nothing for jobs. he is taking is over the kilff and he can't blame geo bush. it will be his recession.
Here is the pay scale of the goverment salerys
•Congress Members (Representatives and Senators): $174,000
•Senate and House Majority/Minority Leaders: $193,400
•Cabinet Members: $199,700
•Speaker of the House: $223,500
•Vice President: $230,700
•President: $400,000
boehner gets paid 223.500.00 a year and with what ever his wife makes iam shore he makes over 250,000.00 a year this is why he does not want to raise taxs for the top 2%
Now do you notice that the Obama salery is 400,000.00 thats why he does not support boehners plan b Obama has no problem paying more taxes. Why should boehner???
Don't be such an idiot. Sorry, but have a little bit more intelligence than that.
Must be a Boehner fan
Walt has no brain. Lol. You don't even know if his wife is employed, and if they're just barely over $250K, they will not be impacted much thanks to the Left's stupid progressive code.
If they were $20,000 over the 250K mark, only that 20,000 would be taxed at the higher rate, and the rest would be at the old rates.
Virtually no impact, a few hundred probly. 3% more of 20K? 600 bucks.
And you're really this stupid that you sit down and come up with this whole scenario which you think shows you have the goods on him? Lol.
don't think you do eithier you really think that these senators don't have other jobs??? come on man get real thay are lawlers. thats just what they make in their goverment job
Don't put Social Security into any deal. Mr. President, you said Social Security was off the table. Please don't go back on your word. We voted for you because of your promise to not touch Social Security and Medicare and we voted for millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. Now Boehner's deal is no good for the middleclass folks. Take this to January when the Bush tax cuts are gone.... Boehner is more worried about his job then the American people. We've known that for the last 4 years when he and his side of the isle said no to every single bill. Blocked everything with almost 400 filibusters, which pushed back the advancement of this country economy. There should be a new diffinition for the meaning of the word "Traitor". When a few people in Congress call all the shots to make americans suffer because they don't like the president we all elected to office. Americans lost their retirements, jobs, homes, and those in Congress go scott free is as worse as it gets. I hope the president sticks to his original plan and doesn't cave in to those no good traitors in Congress.
hey joanie?..don't go back on your word?.......really......obama is a born liar, a distorter, and a divider....you voted for this ass.......
Of course Social Security is off the table with this president. He avoids every other problem facing our nation, why should Social Security be any different. Just let the system collapse and have millions and millions of the need be without. It is the president's way. Next stop....Greece.
obama is a total ahsshole..........
So are you
I'm sick of hearing Bonehead Boehner whine!! Put a boot in that moron's a#&!!
d. Zittman, If you put a boot up there, it might break your nose..... Oh sorry, I thought you said Sotero's a#%&.....
ARTICLES like this one are good for One thing . Putting tea-bagger folks on ignore .
yeah click ignore you cowardly lib....so typical
since i can see that you posted a reply Paddy . Let me take this time , to , let you know You have been on ignore for months .
That's not open-minded carpenter, that's not open-minded. C'mon you're only supposed to put the Rotten Far Left Newsvine employees who try to slant every comment board with the first comments on ignore.
Or the people who repeat some cut and paste thing.
These are the rules.
When will you learn that what ever laws you have---the bad guys will always have the guns, & the "GOOD" guys will have thiers taken away. Look at Austrailia, 1930's Germany & on & on Wake UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obamaghazi wants what is worst for this country and most of the limpwrists do too. Folks, its the makers vs. the takers and we are outnumbered..... Barry Ralph Cramden Osamabama is driving us off the cliff, one way or another. He could not negotiate a deal at a garage sale. What a loser Jug Ears is!!!
If the GOP gave Obama everything he wanted, we would still be 16 trillion in the hole, we would still have 1.3 trillion dollar deficits and the $140,000 every household in America owes on the national debt would grow exponentially.
Obama isn't dealing with the spending at all, he has failed to list one item in the budget he would cut and is using the GOP as a scape goat. We have a spending problem in the Federal government and Obama wants to raise taxes so he can spend some more without any thought to the debt or deficit. Obama is an idiot and so are the morons who follow him. We are broke and going further in the hole every day. The GOP should agree to tax increases but only if it used to pay down the debt and only if Obama agrees to balance the Federal budget.
re: balanced budget
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/EW5IdwltaAc?rel=0
President Says"Take Me Out"!
Has he given up and is telling the death threat nuts to just end it all for him?
chesty is pulling something alright
Ive come to beleive that the left really doesnt care whether we owe 1 trillion or 30 trillion. As long as we keep printing money. In Detroit the city council almost demanded money from Obama as Quid Pro Quo for electing him.
You've come to think that you don't think.
Why are you right wingers such ass clown uneducated idiots?
Did Obama inherit a budget surplus?
Who was the last president to inherit a budget surplus?
Yeah......Go grow a pair and let real Americans solve your problems while you complain and do nothing.
Oh the left tards are still blaming 2008. Wow. I guess when you suck this bad, your explanations are pretty limited.
The "real Americans solving problems"......that'd be the trillion dollar deficits every year under Obama with no end in sight?
Another lie by the right
Sounds like Obama is the little kid that takes his ball and leaves when nobody plays by his rules. My understanding of working together is both sides give a little. Obama just blames everyone else.
You obviously aren't smart enough to know what's going on.
Red states....top 10 in lack of education.
And yet those highly educated blue states can't balance a budget.
And yet they pay for RED state overwhelmingly.
Facts must hurt your tiny brain
Red state, red districts, well-educated.
Red state, black Democrat areas, low test scores.
Basically the whole state vs. state dodge by the Democrats is their way of saying "we don't want no blacks counted". The states with the highest %'s of black Democrat people are in the Red South.
Republicans pay all the taxes, Dems get all the handouts in blue and red states. Romney won people making over $50K by 7%, people making over $100K by 10%.
Oh and Romney won college grads according to the New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/exit-polls I think CNN had it slightly the other way.
They may lack education but you lack common sense. You are so stupid you probably wipe your butt with your hand. You don't need to, we have toilet paper for that. Oop's I forgot you have no common sense
The group of NO better say yes or lose at the next election big time The American people are fed up with Republicans
Sure, just like in 2006 Senator Obama and every goddamn democrat voted against raising the debt limit with Senator Obama saying this:
"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 US Government cannot 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. ...Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that '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."
SENATOR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, MARCH 2006
Get your head out of your rear and realize that each party plays P O L I C T I C S.
GCCal----I give you credit this is the first true thing that has ever been posted by a Republican
Right..................................Oh wait, I see.......you are saying that it is a true thing you have your headin in your rear. First, true thing ever posted by a liberal.
Obama started with 250,000 Beaner came back with 1 million Obama came back 400,000 Beaner says my way or nothing
Obama tried to work with those bastards his last term and they did nothing but screw him and us. I hope and pray he doesn't do it again. They will never work with him and I hope he realizes it. We voted for you, President. Not Boehner, Norquist, Cantor....none of them. We voted for YOUR plan forward....do it. You won't get anything from them but more obstruction. Don't trust them again because they will blame you if you don't and damn you if you do. Screw them!
oldladyisback
Was that before or after President Obama needed them?
People actually did vote those people in. We don't just vote for president
Party of "No" still has the least educated base.
Hhahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahaha
If we cut off the REDstates from Fed $$ they would crumble and die.
Anyone for this? We could balance the budget in 3 years without paying for RED state welfare.
ahahhahahahahahhahahahha
McConnell??? Should we make your state pay it's own way?
Read my post 99.1....who has the least educated base. You are leading the crowd.
Nope, you are a coward, you always have been.
Grow a pair and come back when you aren't such a tool
Tool....., are you kidding me. Nope, probably not because your kind can not face facts......you boss is a flippy. Stop being such an ignoramus and prove me wrong, little man.
You prove yourself wrong....
Now you ask for my help?
hhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahah
Atta boy, can't prove me wrong.....resort to DS....you know, D as in Donkey and not B as in Bull
Nope, the reason some Red States rank low is because the South has the highest %'s of black Democrats and they don't do as well on test scores.
Democrats are worse in every category you can come up with, murders, crime, abortions, divorce, teen pregnancy, obesity, welfare, test scores etc, but
they're also compulsive liars, and the dodge they came up with is comparing states to states, so that this way, the highest % black state, Mississippi gets counted as a Red State, and the Dems don't have to take responsibility for the fact that 84% of the people on welfare in Miss. are black.
When you look at the national demographic statistics, everything is clear. Or if you compare red counties or red districts vs. blue counties and blue districts. Or all Republicans to all Democrats.
Repubs pay more taxes.
Have less crime.
Have less murder.
Have higher test scores.
Have less divorce.
Have less obesity.
Have less teen pregnancy.
Dems are worse in every category.
Common Idiot why do all the blue states have the most welfare people. You guys would just put yourself into bankruptcy if you didn't have us
Hey Barry, placing a ceiling on future SS increases IS NOT deficit reduction! Seriously? Balanced approach? Balanced to you is raise taxes and keep spending. Pathetic.
This only shows me that the core value of the GOP is money, before the whole country. Obama should stick to his 250K limit. If things go well that can be changed later on.
I'm ready for martial law.
Obama flips with what suits him...example: he and 100% of the dems voting against the debt limit in 2006
Hey gcal
Did Obama inherit a $1.4 trillion deficit?
Or a surplus?
yeah
Go to bed while real Americans fix your problems
You would not know a real Amerian if he bite you in the azz..How much have the dems and Obama spent since he took office????????????????????????????????????????????By the way, tool, are you blaming the last President for our problems>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Idiot.
Obama needs to resign and he can't even do that for himself...he's asking congress to take him out of it...pathetic little demi-peckerwood...
Why are right wingers such ass clowns?
Respectfully, that is somewhat of a generalization. There is no doubt that there are BOTH left wingers and right wingers that are idiots. As a progressive/liberal however, I do believe the FAR right wing, which is controlling Congress and is doing everything it can to control America, are definitely a bunch of total morons with the critical thinking skills of a snail. Which is an insult to the snail.