Posted on 12/03/2012 4:26:04 PM PST by drewh
White House sources are telling Democratic reporters that the president is willing to go over the so-called “fiscal cliff” if GOP leaders don’t agree to his demand for higher tax rates on the wealthy without substantive spending cuts.
A political deadlock would mean an automatic tax increase for middle-class and wealthy Americans on January 1, and the opportunity for Obama and the Democrats to push a tax-cutting bill for middle-class voters in 2013, say the White House officials, who leaked the claim to two liberal columnists.
The first of two December 3 leaks came via the left-wing Mother Jones Magazine publication, where columnist David Corn reported that “according to senior administration officials, Obama is not eager to go over the cliff, but he is willing. If no deal is reached by the end of the month, all the Bush tax cuts — for the rich and not-rich — will evaporate.”
“Obama would then demand in early January that the new Congress immediately pass legislation to reinstate the lower tax rates for the bottom 98 percent,” wrote Corn.
Corn’s claim was later seconded by a left-wing columnist at The Washington Post, Greg Sargent, who sometimes is used by the White House to leak official views.
“I have just confirmed that [Corn's report] is accurate — Obama is willing, albeit very reluctant, to go over the cliff,” Sargent wrote.
This stance puts Republicans at a disadvantage because the “fiscal cliff” will automatically raise upper-income taxes, ensuring “Dems can come back and move to pass just the middle class tax cuts, challenging Republicans to vote against renewing them after they have expired,” Sargent wrote.
But a deadlock and a trip over the “fiscal cliff” would also allow the GOP to stand firm on their opposition to any increases in tax rates, and effectively require the Democrats to cooperate with a GOP proposal to revamp the nation’s tax laws in 2013.
That national tax debate could help the Republicans win the 2014 mid-term elections, when Obama and Democrats will try to regain the House majority lost in 2010.
Democrats and White House officials are already trying to blame the GOP for any deadlock and the scheduled tax increases, and are now arguing that the nation’s stalled economy was caused by the GOP’s determination to protect the income of wealthy Americans.
Good, let him go over the cliff and when he gets to Hawaii, close off his spending and let him rot there.
I misread I thought it said “Obama willing go over the cliff” PLEASE DO =)
The only leaks out of that place are the ones they want you to know about. Anybody seen his transcripts lately. This is another 8 year old stunt by the Democrats.
Fine, Obama gets his tax increase. Then in March don’t raise the debt ceiling and we’ll get our spending cuts.
Hell yeah! The House needs to ground this spendthrift President. He and his family can walk their asses back from Hawaii, as far as I’m concerned.
When Obama played golf with Clinton last week, I’m sure they talked about Clinton successfully shutting down the government and blaming the Republicans.
All I want to hear right now from the GOP is that there are not enough “rich” to pay for all the free stuff. Where is the money supposed to come from? What is the Obama Plan?
The GOP is fumbling this away allowing the dims to make it all about the tax rates. They have to go on offense this week or they are done. Barry and Harry will steamroll them.
It’s Gingrich time again. That’s why da bam went golfin’ with his brother by another mother, bill.
A Ø willing to go over the “fiscal cliff”, while asking for removal of any debt ceiling, while asking for $Trillions more in taxes, while NOT asking for ANY budget cuts, is a Ø that deeply desires to destroy the private sector, destroy - his word for it not mine - the “middle class”, in favor of a marxist/socialist economy.
[it’s also a Ø willing to wage war, albeit indirect... for now with proxies..., against Israel]
He created the cliff so that he could drive us over it. At this point, its pretty moot. He destroyed the country, it was his goal from the beginning.
GMTA
Yes.
You trickle up from NOTHING.
Of course the lowlife bass turd wants the country to go “over the cliff”. More tax money for him and the rest of his commie bastards in the District of Corruption. You really Fluked up this time America! Let’s see you get your greedy, freeloading asses out of this one. Good job! The IRS is going to send EVERYONE a trophy! The GOP better not choke on this. Everyone needs to suffer this time. Not just “the rich”. Elections do have consequences. A lesson the morons living here better learn and they better learn it quickly. JMO.
Fine, Obama gets his tax increase. Then in March don’t raise the debt ceiling and we’ll get our spending cuts.
It won’t be the Obama tax increase. He will blame the GOP. Then, Barry will happily EO his way around the debt ceiling if he has to. The GOP won’t stop that.
The GOPers should get extremely aggressive on making this known. Unfortunately, unlike the dems, they seem content with mumbling out some 1-minute comment, then ducking for cover. The dems are seeking out every microphone they can find.
I`ve given up hope the Repubs will ever get any kind of advantage on this or any other manufactured crisis. They`re going to get the blame for any repercussions regardless of the cause by a public that doesn`t like them. So, they should just say “screw politics.” They`re not going to win the White House and only stand a faint chance of ever taking the Senate again anyway, so maybe doing the right thing ought to come first.
Do it, 0coward!
The ONLY cure for that is new leaders that are more articulate and believe in conservatism thru and thru.
Romney probably had his heart in the right place, but was an inarticulate "severe" conservative. Conservative ARTICULATION is now the name of the game as the only way to pierce the agenda of the marxist enemedia.
Obamugabe hates the middle class.
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