Posted on 01/01/2013 8:36:34 PM PST by GVnana
The Congress that convened two years ago under the war cries of the tea party is slowly coming to an end with a Champagne-less whimper on New Year’s Day 2013.
The House voted late Tuesday evening, in a rare holiday session, to pass a fiscal cliff bill brokered without the involvement of the GOP majority and with far less than half of their votes.
The bill (HR 8) was amended by the Senate in the early morning hours on an 89-8 vote, carrying language crafted over the holiday weekend by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The 257-167 roll call in the humbled House concluded close to 11 p.m., with 172 Democratic votes and only 85 Republicans, fewer of their own conference than GOP leaders hoped for perhaps, but more than enough to clear the necessary majority to send the legislation to President Barack Obama’s desk.
“Am I having a nightmare, or what?” Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio could be heard saying on the House floor, perhaps in jest. Boehner voted for the measure. Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California and Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam of Illinois all voted against it. Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., who has largely remained quiet during the debate over the last few weeks, voted for the legislation.
I agree - Boehner’s job is not easy but I think anyone who can get the Dems to push the Bush Tax cuts through isn’t all that stupid. And furthermore we now define rich as $400K rather than $250K - which again is a plus.
I stopped listening to FNC and all the other talking heads. They want viewers and don’t care about the information.
The Dems do spin - the Reps need to spin back.
This bill extended Federal income tax cuts for those who pay income taxes, unfortunately it extended tax credits too.
But did not extend FICA/SS payroll tax, so those who pay no Federal income taxes will pay more of those (as will we) which they should as they will get SS.
If the fwightened wabbit crowd didnt kill plan B then O would have had a weaker hand to demand that other stuff. Plan B had none of that other crap in it.
Killing plan B made sure that the senate dictated the final bill.
Well I do tune in on them and also to see what the Dems are plotting, but FNC is no place to get accurate information. I picked that lesson you say up years ago. Hell, look at the Rove predictions.
I like Cavuto and Brett Baur and sometimes babe Kelly, the others are just entertainment. Hannity is for the brain dead.
BTW, I reserve the right to curse Bohner later, the threat of passing immigration reform really terrifies me.
It will either pass a bill that screws us or just piss off Hispanics even more to get out and vote D. Going near it is lose-lose
So when I hear them telling the drones that Republicans in congress must block nearly any extension of tax cuts by claiming they are blocking tax increases, so they all go up, and there is NO DOUBT who will get blamed, I know who will do best $$$ if that actually happened.
” they all do much better $$$ when Republicans lose elections”
yup I noticed that too... so their motives are always suspect. I think they want bad press and good results. Which looks like what we got - Tax Cuts and the blame.
And you named the FNC folks I can actually tolerate, although I miss Hume.
Speaker of the House is a job that basically involves herding cats. There are 234 GOP representatives and, like it or not, every one of them represents a different constituency, and every one of them will do whatever they think they need to do to get re-elected. Speaker is just not the easy job some people around here think it is.
Today I saw a guest on MSNBC Martin Bashin predicting that Bohner would resign as Speaker by 7pm (Wednesday) and they all laughed at him, they asked “Who would take his job?” If I was Bohner I would spread these stories.
Rev Al Sharpton promoted this same story though, tells you how good it is.
Who would take that job?
Pelosi did a very good job for the Dem side for 4 years, she's seems a way much better fighter than Bohner.,
But to be fair to him (now) Bohners (R party) only has one House of three, his party is taking the unpopular positions, and his team is fighting with each other and cant agree with each other on what to do. Many seem to want the House to shut down completely. Its near impossible
O has a pretty easy job : ‘more free stuff and tax cuts for you folks”
Yes she did...and she is qualified for the job. But the stupid GOP has a bad habit of eating their own...shame on them.
I am with you there. I am also concerned about the gun control stuff coming up.
Gun control in the House is VERY unlikely. Voters are very fickle on it. Immigration amnesty is a different story.
Many Republicans think they can buy off a few Hispanics votes now by Amnesty, in the process making millions of Dem voters in the near future.
That is the real danger.
I think Boehner should announce that the House will consider NOTHING until the Senate passes a budget, as required by law, reconciles it with the House version, and we have a budget again. No more CRs. That should buy him some time and let some of this “urgent” Obama crap die off.
The debt limit crisis should provide more high drama.
O originally demanded its extension as part of this deal.
Then when he gave that up he said that he would not allow Rs to use that to get spending concessions and would dare Rs to go over the limit, he said he would NOT negotiate, I am sure he was talking to his lib base who many are mad and scared he will give in on spending cuts to get the extension.
When he does 'negotiate' Rs should rub it in his face
This line of R attack has been tried before and failed,
O just gets on TV and tells voters that's not possible to pass a budget until Dems get 60 in the Senate or gets rid of the filibuster.
Once again Rs get the blame and Obama is held up as the ‘only serious adult in the room’.
Be careful about getting strategy on beating Dems from Rush+CO, most of their advice is full of holes and designed just to appeal a small group of fans, not to actually work.
It has not really been tried. How long was everything shut down for? Did I sleep through that? I didn’t get that from Rush and company. It is common sense and would be the right thing to do. Boehner swore to uphold the constitution. He should quit being a wuss and start doing his duty now.
Newt tried it and got crushed and then he completely surrendered to Clinton passing the CR he demanded.
Bohner caved in 2011 because he saw the opinion polls all supporting O. Then Rs lost 2012 election, after they told themselves the polls were rigged.
If its so easy to raise taxes on the 98% just for the 2% and to shut down the gubment then why are they all not lining up for that job? To be Speaker??
After all its the ‘constitution’.
Is there any principle that you believe Boehner should not abandon because he may get blamed for doing his duty? I got news for you, he’ll get blamed for whatever goes wrong anyways. He may as well do the right thing. Why not just get it over with and vote ‘rat if nothing is worth standing up for? If Newt got crushed so badly why did BJ end up doing a lot of what Newt wanted in the end (welfare reform, Taxpayer relief act of 1997, balanced budget legislation etc.)? Sometimes you have got to stand by your principles. If it is unpopular, two years before the next election is the best time to do it. BTW, Wikipedia says that “The shutdown ended when Clinton agreed to submit a CBO-approved balanced budget plan”. That does not sound to me like Newt got crushed or surrendered.
This is where many, including here, are about to be fooled and set-up:
Does “The debt ceiling” facade, include the coming 2014 beginning plunder of Extortion-Care?
Notice the coming big deal speak is about the debt ceiling. Deflection, and getting ready to pass it off with: Extortion-Care.
And prepare for the Arbeitsziehungslager. Which may or may-not manifest in localized “camps”, but manifest in the form of persistant, new, mailed mandate notifications rife with forced compliances.
Look, Rs have done great at making themselves disliked, even hated and O liked. They have tried that in full. So far this has been a plan for disaster,
Why not try something new?, make O disliked instead? And crazy as it sounds to Beat him in elections.
Hell, in 2010 even the NE RINOs joined in to oppose O bills.
A side doesn't cave when they are winning. That is why Dems stick together.
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