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Updated 1:19 p.m. — A path toward resolving the impending the co-called fiscal cliff was suspended in limbo Friday following a dramatic defeat for House Speaker John Boehner, whose own rank-and-file members refused to support his backup plan Thursday night.
After conservatives balked at Boehner's "Plan B," which would have preserved current income tax rates for those making less than $1 million, the nation's top elected Republican shrugged off questions about whether his job was in danger. And as Washington prepares for a holiday break, Democrats and Republicans are further apart than ever on a plan to avoid the combination of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in just 11 days.
And the Ohio Republican emerged Friday urging President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats to re-engage in talks toward an overarching deal toward resolving the fiscal cliff, the combination of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts (which fall heavily upon the defense budget) set to take effect on Jan. 1.
"I'm interested in solving the major problems facing our country," Boehner said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "And that means House leaders, Senate leaders and the president are going to continue to have to work together to address those concerns."
With just 10 days until the nation goes over the so-called "fiscal cliff," lawmakers head home for the holidays. For the president, his stay in Hawaii will be a "working vacation." NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., demanded that Boehner allow a Democratic proposal to extend tax rates for income under $250,000 to come up for a vote.
"There's nothing preventing the speaker from taking up our bill," Reid said Friday afternoon on the Senate floor. Boehner did say the House would "certainly take a look" at that bill, if the Senate manages to resolve a procedural holdup that would bar the House from considering the legislation. (Reid called that excuse "phony.")
But the speaker's task has become more vexing than ever; conservatives sent a powerful signal yesterday that they would not approve any tax increase, even on millionaires. Obama's demand that tax rates be allowed to rise for the wealthiest Americans amounts to a seemingly intractable standoff with House Republicans.
Boehner said that many lawmakers still prefer broad reforms to the tax code, but he acknowledged the difficulty in reaching any consensus: "How we get there? God only knows."
The president plans to work with Congress to prevent tax hikes and spending cuts that are expected to kick in on January 1 after House Republicans rejected a vote on House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" legislation. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.
The speaker seemed unconcerned, though, about the prospects for an uprising from fellow Republicans.
"No, I am not," Boehner said when asked directly whether he should be concerned about his position. "If you do the right things every day for the right reasons, the right things will happen."
Republican leaders dismissed House lawmakers for the holiday weekend after pulling the vote on Thursday evening. Boehner said they would be recalled to Washington "as needed." The Democratic-controlled Senate is currently scheduled to reconvene next Thursday, Dec. 27.
"It's too bad Speaker Boehner wasted a week on this futile, political stunt," Reid said. "It's time for the speaker and all Republicans to return to the negotiating table."
The intervening time period might allow for Boehner and Obama to reach an agreement, though its final approval in the House would almost certainly involve the speaker turning to Democrats for votes. That would strengthen Obama's ability to insist upon tax rates, spending cuts and entitlement reforms that hew more closely to the plan on which he campaigned for much of this year.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Boehner has "done his part. He's bent over backwards." As an alternative, the top Senate Republican proposed extending tax rates for a full year with instructions to enact tax reform in the meanwhile. (Democrats rejected it out-of-hand.)
For their part, Republicans said they would look to Obama for action on a path forward.
"I don't want taxes to go up, Republicans don't want taxes to go up," Boehner said. "But we only run the House; Democrats continue to run Washington."
McConnell said: "It's the president's job — it's his job — to find a solution that can pass the Congress."
In the meanwhile, Boehner said he remained committed to working toward a deal, and said he was not interested in giving up his position as speaker.
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We ignore the do-nothing GOP, and the president uses his chops to put it through while the Republicans are gone. They gave up on it after seeing that they had no argument that a majority of voters found appealing. If the GOP dissolves itself, the the Democrats should take advantage of their demise. Could be the Mayans were right about the Republican Party. We'll see what their "New cycle" brings. In the meantime lets get some work done.
Bongoman...Good idea. Let's have a 1 Party System. Democrats control everything with no opposition. How did you attain such a high level of intelligence??? Wow...awesome display of what the mind can conceive when utilized by the Bongoman.
your answer is bong hits and many of them, he is clueless.
It's obvious Boehner and the republican party would fvck up a 2 car funeral procession.
Sharky open your eyes, what is obvious is the cluebag dems that think there is no problem, because the US can borrow money at will, duh! kind of like a drug addict that has the key to the back door of the pharmacy.
The republicans are trying to get our counry in line, Obama just wants more money to spend/give away, think Solyndra. How do you lable the obvious problem is Boehner?? WHat has Obama contributed aside from devision?????????
People need to open their eyes & look at what is really happening in DC. bh0 and the progressive left want to increase taxes on the "rich". This has absolutely no effect on the debt or deficit. The republicans are saying stop the spending. The federal government is not living within its means. Its like if any of us got into debt for 100K, the first thing to do would be cut up the credit cards and make your own coffee in the morning instead of going to Starbucks. You cut your spending. bh0 is saying don't cut up the credit cards - get another credit card AND get another job. Wake up America!
Oh, I don't know. If I pay my mortgage a little every month, the balance goes away. But you don't think getting taxes to pay down the debt won't make the balance go down, so we should just not bother getting more taxes?
Oh, I don't know. If I pay my mortgage a little every month, the balance goes away. But you don't think getting taxes to pay down the debt won't make the balance go down, so we should just not bother getting more taxes?
We can start with the Defense Department.
psychedout : "But you don't think getting taxes to pay down the debt won't make the balance go down, so we should just not bother getting more taxes?"
Hint: Only if you reduce spending by a LARGER AMOUNT!!!
Moderate, you keep mentioning that Obama is spending money, correct?
I mean, that is what you have said. I had to do a double take on that one, because in case you don't have a frigging clue, the House, controlled by the pukebags, also control the govt's purse strings.
I know, I know, you think I'm wrong. But research it and find out the truth. The truth shall set you free of your stupidity. But I gather you would rather show everyone how stupid you really are. Otherwise, you wouldn't make statements about who is spending what.
You don't worry about paying your mortgage if you have no job, or make just enough to survive. You get a job / increase your income first. Spending cuts during a recession is asking for trouble. The middle class and poor are already weakened and once we get into the declining sales begets reduced jobs cycle it can lead to a depression since the Fed has already maximized it's ability to manipulate the currency. Any further creating of consumer fear could cause us to follow the path of Greece where continuing cuts in spending leads to continuing decline in GDP and social unrest.
SallyAnn...I don't THINK you are wrong, I KNOW you are wrong. Do you honestly think that ALL Spending is TOTALLY CONTROLLED BY CONGRESS??? You are Stuck on Ignorant.
Congress sets the budget, Moderate. The president is allowed to do discretionary spending on what he sees fit to spend on, but the amount that can be spent in this manner is decided by congress.
So yes, congress has complete control on how MUCH is spent year after year.
This is exactly what the Republican Party is about...no concern for the middle-class, just the wealthy. This is why they lost but they will make the country and MOST of the citizens pay for their greed.
I don't understand your point. How do you pay for GOP "greed"? We know the top 20% of taxpayers pay 94% of all income tax. If we go back to the Clinton era tax system, why is that bad? We will all simply pay more in tax. I think you just want a free ride. You demand a vote, but you don't want to pay your fair share. If I were to be angry at anyone it would be Bernake, who is artifically keeping interest rates low to keep the interest payments on the national debt low. That is why we are only earning .1% on our savings accounts. That, my friend, is nothing more than a hidden tax on the middle class brought to you by Barrack Obama.
Maybe Mr Boehner if you listened to God alittle more or at all we wouldnt be in this situation!! You and your party (not all of them but most) dont want to do anything to move this country forward under the President and this is from a republican who has voted for the party until the last two elections!! Get your act together or the party is probably going to go down in ashes!!
isn't plan b - the morning after pill? no wonder it failed!! and so now it's god's will, right?
The Speaker should resign if he cannot get the job done. Divine intervention is unlikely.
I get tired of all the misconceptions and lies about Social Security and Medicare being perpetuated on here. They are a major part of the problems facing our future, but too many are completely ignorant of that fact. Here are some truths that people need to accept.
Myth 1- Social Security is in trouble because the money was raided.
Fact- The money raided from social security by having social security buy government bonds. Those will be repaid with interest. It is no different than a person buying a government bond for sometime in the future. If you buy a CD from your bank, that money is still there, but you don't have access to it. Same idea.
Myth 2-Since Social Security has a surplus, there isn't any problems.
Fact- The idea was that individuals would fund their own retirement needs. That surplus is supposed to be their for retiring individuals. We do have a surplus, but that is like saying that you have a surplus when your $3,000 pay check gets deposited into your account. It looks really good the day it gets deposited, but then you pay rent ($1,000), students loans ($600), car payment ($300), food ($1,000), insurance and utilities ($500), gas ($400), and the list goes on and on.
Myth 3- If SS and medicare is in so much debt, it would show up on the federal debt.
Fact- The debt we owe on SS and Medicare is about 3 times larger than the current debt. It doesn't get added to the debt because the government can decide to simply not pay SS or Medicare whenever they choose not to.
We have to admit the problems before we can solve anything. Right now, our entitlements are taking us the way of Greece and we will have massive cuts forced on us in the future if we fail to fix the problem.
Fact is that those government bonds you mentioned will need to be repayed by the same people who paid into SS.
@PutAmericaFirst: Welfare, Food Stamps, Cell Phones, Free Housing and Supplemental SS Checks are ENTITLEMENTS. How about we police and control the more than abundant ABUSE of those ENTITLEMENTS before we go after Social Security and Medicare. The difference ???? MOST Social Security and Medicare recipients paid into those programs for MANY years before receiving the benefits, and CONTINUE to pay vis a vis TAXES on SS Benefits and MONTHLY PREMIUMS for Healthcare beyond the simple Medicare Part A benefits. In comparison I know noone who pays Taxes on REAL ENTITLEMENTS and a HUGE MAJORITY never paid a single cent of TAX in their life and are CAREER Welfare / Food Stamp / et al recipients with no incentive to EVER have employment. Why is that?? ASK THEM!!!
True, but that is what we voted for......spending more than we take in year after year after year.
Moderate. Because those things you mentioned are only about a .5% of the problem. Sure we can deal with them, but they don't really effect things one way or another. It is like cutting out a latte from your spending when you are spending $1,000 more a month than you take in. We have to deal with the serious problems one way or another.
Agreed. No argument.
Fiscal Cliff taxes are far worse than the offers he's refusing. Let it go over the cliff and then deal with it when the GOP get hit with a majority of the blame. That smug attitude this morning at the press conference will have a completely different expression when the country turns against him and his ilk.
We had trillions of entitlement cuts years ago when the pubs GOT their extended tax cuts. SO STFU repukes
You can't be serious? Such ignorance. LOL.....Please get educated.
Here's a waste of taxpayer money: Boehner
There are two alternatives: One, we wait until after the 2014 elections when the Dems will control the House. And hope for the best economically. Two: Pelosi needs to take some action. There appear to be enough Republicans in Congress to vote with the Dems to get it done. If she gets no cooperation, it will hurt the GOP even more in 2014.
So what you are saying is that democrats are just as at fault. They could have voted for plan B, but didn't in order to prevent action. Great point.
Boehner and the republicans could have voted for Plan A and this would have been resolved last week.
Your argument is stupid.
John Boehner, the Mayan Prophecy and the Horn that is blowing
Ever notice that when something goes perfect and right the GOP self glorifies their own party. When something goes wrong that with something that they hav created be it a tax law or whatever it is always blame someone else.
Go ahead GOP bring your Political War to America next year like you say you are going to do and Mayan Prophecy of the 'political poles' will continue to be proven as having flipped the 'polar regions of thought in Americans"
If you think about it the Mayan prophecy has come true. Since the time of the Mayans it has always been the oppression of the White Europeans that have slaughtered and destroyed the world around covering the Earth in a relentess ocean of blood, the color of red the GOP's color, red. But just as the Mayan's have predicted which such a prediction has come true the 'poles' of Earth have slowly turned on end. The blood of the Europeans being slowly washed away from Earth to reveal a new golden age for humanity. With the election of President Obama the first black man the notion of only white men or men in general being the only gender that is able to lead or is wanted to lead by some unknown and darker force....just like in the Lord of the Rings Sauron gave his rings of power to men only so that through their ego he could control all life....but America resisted and elected a black man to lead them thus destroying the Rings that Sauron...Satan had given to men thousands of years ago. And just like Ewoyn who further destroyed the power of Sauron....electing Hilliary Clinton as the first female president of America will be the same as her thrusting her sword into the darkness of the Witch King of Angmar which is another representation of Satan's power to disguise his true form in governments around the world where only men are allowed to lead.
With Barack Obama being elected president the power of Sauron has diminished showing the rest of humanity that a leader is a leader based upon the peoples choice in chosing her or him to lead instead of the notion of only men being smart enough to lead...which is the mentality of Satan and Sauron as both hate the knowledge that women have in relation to creation thus making the women even a mortal more intelligent than Satan.
With Hilliary Clinton being elected it will destroy the notion of Satan and Sauron completely that women can never lead and can never be more intelligent than a man through which Satan....Sauron has given his power to rule through his rings of power.
It's time to bring the entire GOP leadership up on charges of sedition and treason! There is no other way to describe their actions!
Kekky - What kind of reality do you live in, demented democrat.
You wouldn't recognize either sedition or treason if it crawled up your butt and spoke though azz.
Republicans are obstructionist. Republicans are partisan mind. Republicans SUCK SUCK SUCK
Jake...I might refer you to Barney Frank, a Democrat, for clarification on Suck, Suck, Suck.
SO at what point does Obama have some responsability here, no spending cuts, (except for some in Obama care already), and give me money, I am punishing the rich, look at me I am making America pay.
Add to that Harry Reid, no bill from the right comes to the floor, between him and your clueless leader, the plan of take is the only thing allowed to be discussed.
Bill..you are talking to a bunch of liberal dolts who would be happy to see only one party in power, Democrats of course, thinking that life would be so sweet. Waste of time. The Liberals love Socialism, as long as THEY aren't affected or footing the bill. Manna from Heaven to Atheists...go figure.
@Bill, he doesn't have any responsibility here, plain and simple. Congress controls the nations purse strings, therefore all the responsibility is on Congress, meaning the pukebag party that's in control. When Congress can present a bill to the President to sign, then it becomes his responsibility, not before then.
SallyAnn is an authority on PukeBags.......takes charge of cleaning them.
If only God knows then we should stop paying Congress as it's obviously above their pay grade. There's some deficit reduction for you.
How laughable!!! . . . as if he'd have any choice or say in the matter. He steps out-of-line again, those gray-haired, sexist, racist old fogey's that call the shots these days will cut him down faster than George Washington cut down the cherry tree. Boner is a walking, breathing joke and so is the rest of his regime.
Let's see, so many things to disagree with on here about what people said. Where to start.
1. To the idiot who said the House should just accept the Senate Bill on tax increases, let me remind that idiot of what the US Constitution says on ANY BILL regarding revenue: Article 1, Section 7: "All bills for raising Revenue SHALL originate in the House of Representatives".... Point made!
2. Just wait till 2014 & see if Democraps win the House back. You had the entire government for the 1st 2 years of this idiots rein & look what it got us: A Health Care bill, with over 1400 waivers approved to cities & states to not implement it. A bill no one read to begin with because Nancy Pelosi said "We have to pass the bill to know what's in it"! What a crock of crap. Now Senate Democrats want to delay part of it since there is a huge tax increase on medical devices in it! Overall cost have gone up, docotors are dropping patients & companies are dropping health care all together. A Stimulus bill that stimulated NOTHING! Plus for a party that thought raising the National Debit ceiling under President Bush was "SO UN-PATRIOTIC", yet you've done it over & over again.
And let's not foget that it was a Democratic controlled Congress in charge when everything started to go to hell-n-a-basket the last 2 years under president Bush.
3. Let's talk Social Security. When it was first created there were 16 people paying into it for every 1 person drawing a benefit. Now since 2010, it has been 1 person paying into it, for every 4 people drawing out. If you think you can sustain that rate (and it only gets worse in the upcoming years), then you are a complete idiot!
4. 98% of American will not see a tax cut if any bill is passed. 98% of American don't pay Federal INCOME TAX. The bottom 49% of taxable American PAY NOTHING NOW. Plus for it to be a tax cut, Congress would actually have to PASS a Bill with a tax cut in it. Any bill they are considering only keeps some of the rates the SAME (i.e. for you simple democraps out there SAME MEANS NO TAX CUT!).
5. Blame. Goes both ways. Republician & Democrats got us in this mess & you idiots are the people who kept electing the fools we have. So if you really want to blame anyone for the current state of affairs in DC or around the country, get off your fat lazy asses, & walk over to a mirror & look at your fat, toothless faces & say hello, "Im at fault!"
So according to your logic. When that 98% who don't pay fed income taxes is increased to 99.9% from the continuing concentration of wealth by the "job creators," then all will be well?
That's not what I said. The top 10% of wage earners in this country already pay better than 70% of the Federal taxes collected. The bottom 49% of wage eligible Americans pay noting in Federal Income Tax. That means that middle roughly 40% of American only pay around 30% of the Federal Taxes collected. Maybe that middle group needs to pay more & that bottom group really needs to pay something!
The problem is that none of these "elected" clowns represent the American people. We have a huge military budget to defend us against "phantom" enemies that are pulled out of a hat at the whim of non-elected special interests, and now even the special interests of other countries! If we kept our noses out of other countries, and instead took care of all the jobless, the poor and homeless and destitute retired citizens we have, by forcing industry to support our own country, we might actually have a government! After all, that is supposed to be the major function of our government, to supply the support our economic system failed to supply; and make our country a country of, by and FOR the American PEOPLE!
But then what do we expect in a country that has a vaporous freedom, built on wealth, and a people who no longer trust each other, and even need to put cops in schools so we don't slaughter our own kids? All of this is the result of a greedy economy that has left society behind, and has created an environment of competitive self-destruction. Freedom without responsibility is suicide -- and these elected fools that represent us are only an extension of the lack of responsibility we have shown towards our own, and the lack of choice we have in our political system. "Too big to fail" has sold our government to the highest bidder, and made us a society of slaves footing the bill for our MASTERS -- was this what America, and even capitalism was supposed to be?
If Pelosi were Speaker, the job would have gotten done. Simple. Republicans are obstructionist. Republicans are partisan mind. Republicans SUCK SUCK SUCK
Republicians didn't add 6 trillion to the National Debit in less than 4 years!
You right Dave, they added 12 trillion in 40 years, but they created it and added to it. Why didn't they take care of it earlier?
Democrats controlled Congress for a large part of those 40 years. But there is enough blame to go around on all sides
The town clown/ aka idiot Boehner needs to lay off the booze and earn his money. This is the absolutely worst politician even the GOP can come up with.We already knew what a coward he is after his military failure and he continues to think he is relevant .He may be for a REPUBLICAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Boehner's fiscal path forward: 'God only knows'"
Or in Obamas Case, Allauh only knows.
Sadly, this brazen display of idiocy is true of the 'common man' in America and is the root of why we're in such a sad place.
Funny how Obama campaigned on raising taxes for "millionaires and billionaires," yet his first proposal was to raise taxes on those making over $250,000. Then he conceded to $400,000. No wonder the president wants his college records sealed... He could never pass math class.
Nor could his supporters and electorate constituents. That is why they are all on Welfare and Food Stamps...FOR LIFE!!!
"I don't want taxes to go up, Republicans don't want taxes to go up," he said. "But we only run the House; Democrats continue to run Washington."
What a pathetic, moronic crock of @!$%#. The Republicans in the Senate, using the filibuster, and the Republicans in the House, refusing to consider any legislation unless it is packed full of their radical, right wing ideology, have run Washington since the early nineties.
Nice try; no cigar.
So if Republicans only pass legislation full of their right wing ideology crap, then why did Democrats attach a bunch of pet projects to the bill meant to help the Hurricane Sandy victims?
brad, perhaps the next natural disaster should occur in your local area. You may think differently about the matter.
Boehner is a boozing jerk, and could loose his job for not listening to the other members in the GOP. If all the people that run our government, and make the rules we have to live buy, had to live buy the same rules, only then, would there be changes that would benefit all of us.
How exactly would he loose his job? Would he be out of the House if not relected speaker? I already know the correct answer, just wondering if you do?
Lose, not loose. Learn the meaning of words. Lose, means you lost something. Loose, is like your mother.
I did your mother & what a waste of time it was!