Posted on 12/26/2012 4:06:28 PM PST by Sub-Driver
U.S. administration urges Republicans not to block "fiscal cliff" deal By Mark Felsenthal | Reuters – 58 mins ago
HONOLULU (Reuters) - As President Barack Obama cut short a Christmas vacation to resume talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of automatic year-end tax hikes and spending cuts, the White House on Wednesday called on congressional Republicans not to stand in the way of a resolution in the U.S. Congress.
"It's up to the Senate Minority Leader not to block a vote, and it's up the House Republican leader, the Speaker of the House ... to allow a vote," a senior administration official told reporters traveling with the president.
Obama is seeking a stripped down deal to prevent tax rates from rising on all but the wealthiest Americans and to stop steep across-the-board spending cuts.
The White House last week proposed a broader package that would have let tax rates stay low for those making up to $400,000, a compromise from the president's previous rate hike threshold of $250,000.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner was unimpressed with the offer and sought unsuccessfully to push his own proposal through Congress, but members of his own Republican Party balked at rate hikes of any kind. Talks broke down after that and the president and lawmakers left town for the holiday.
The focus will shift to the Senate for a deal, where Obama will rely on an ally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to work out a bill that the top Senate Republican, Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, will not obstruct. The House must also pass the measure.
A broader effort to trim the nation's massive budget deficit will have to wait, the official said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
oBama : My way or no way
Huh? How can a tax bill originate in the Senate?
Oh wait, sorry, I forgot that we aren’t bound by that silly Constitution any more. That was just the senile ramblings of a bunch of dumb old white slaveowners.
Speaking of stupid senile old white guys, do you think McConnell will offer ANY resistance WHATSOEVER?
Notice there’s no responsibility put on the Democrats to come up with a bill the Republicans would be willing to vote for. It’s the Republican’s responsibility to vote for whatever they come up with.
Any Republican who votes for tax hikes won’t get my vote. Sen. Corker is on my never vote for list. Tennesse Republicans didn’t send him to the senate to raise their taxes.
King 0bama.. Now we can OFFICIALLY call him that.
B-HO is purposely ruining the U.S. economy. He is not negotiating in good faith. I do not understand the U.S. Democrats helping B-HO ruin our nation. The Democrats do not care about their children and grandchildren?
Stop it now, or I'm gone and so are the Republicans. This madness can't continue.
Republicans will be vilified for a while, until they understand the gravity of the situation.
My guess is that the argument will be that they are extending and revising a bill that’s already in effect, the Bush tax cut bill. Therefore, they will say, it’s not originating in the Senate.
Just this week we hear about Obie trying to extend mortgage refi's to those outside of government insured (Fannie/Freddies).
And women farmers who were supposedly discriminated in lending practices sometime in their lives are encouraged to claim their 50g's before its too late. No questions asked, no verifications necessary. The deadline expires this week, but they're extending it another 3 months so they can give away a bunch more. This after they've already done it for black farmers (Pigston case, iirc) ..also no questions asked.
It's redistribution writ large, compliments of an American hating president.
At what point does it become clear to all that Obama is trying to destroy a nation he sees as unfair.
This is Obama telling the republicans to get out of the way, and let him and the democrats solve the “fiscal cliff” crisis, by, making the cliff deeper and more vertical. Then, when the country goes to hell, Obama and the democrats can blame the republicans for not doing their jobs and allowing the cliff to get deeper and more vertical.
Well who knew? Its totally up to the Republicans to resolve this crisis.
Let’s start calling the “fiscal cliff” what it is — a return to Bill Clinton’s tax rates...
The only obstruction is Harry Reid. He never lets house bills come up for a vote. He is as much a dictator as is obama with a little “o” for disrespect.
Oh yeah. Obama couldn't get a deal with Boehner, kicked it to Congress to solve. They came up with a solution and now Obama wants that stopped also.
Ugly little man.
More intimidation from the empty chair. No reason to give him anything, but the stupid party will give him everything he wants and blame the “chuckleheads”
They shouldn’t block a thing, just vote “Present” and let the ahole own it
TT
They are very good at politics.
My prediction — Obama has a plan blessed by Reid and Pelosi. He’s going to propose it when the “talks” with Boehner break down.
The deal will be sold by the media as a “compromise”, and the media will explain how wonderful it is that Obama and the Democrats were willing to compromise even when the republicans wouldn’t budge.
Then they will show up with 51 votes in the senate, and enough democrats in the house that they only need 40 republicans.
And then, Obama’s call tonight will make perfect sense — don’t block the vote.
Yep.
And if this time he doesn’t use every disciplinary method available on the RINOs to keep them from voting for it Boehner will be destroying the Republican Party for years to come.
It will be interesting.
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