"Fiscal cliff" talks turn sour, Obama threatens veto

reuters ^ | 12/19/2012 | Matt Spetalnick and Mark Felsenthal

[tobyhill]

Talks to avoid a fiscal crisis appeared to stall on Wednesday as President Barack Obama accused Republicans of digging in their heels due to a personal grudge against him, while a top Republican called the president "irrational."

As the clock ticks toward a year-end deadline, Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, are trying to reach a deal to avert harsh tax hikes and spending cuts that could trigger a recession.

Obama said he was puzzled over what was holding up the talks and told Republicans to stop worrying about scoring "a point against the president" or forcing him into concessions "just for the heck of it." "It is very hard for them to say yes to me," he told a news conference in the White House. "At some point, you know, they've got to take me out of it."

The rise in tensions threatens to unravel significant progress made over the last week in the so-called fiscal cliff talks.

Boehner and Obama have each offered substantial concessions that have made a deal look within reach. Obama has agreed to cuts in benefits for seniors, while Boehner has conceded to Obama's demand that taxes rise for the richest Americans.

[SoFloFreeper]

The article I read said that Obama was the one proposing the cuts to seniors.

[Yulee]

A 1.7 percent increase in social security benefits can easily be waived, except that Medicare went up.

---

1. Pass a bill in the House extending the tax cuts permanently. As part of this same bill remove Federal income taxes on social security benefits paid to retirees (just those who have paid into the system).I have never understood why we spend our entire working lives into social security, and then the government demands we pay taxes on what we paid them, as required by law
2. Pass a budget in the House,including the above, that freezes levels of spending at the present level for the next fiscal year,that can only be adjusted with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses for any increase.
4. Once the above is done, pay for a prime time press conference, with the Speaker of the House, and the Minority Leader of the Senate addressing the nation directly. In this press conference demand to know why the President and Harry Reid want to raise taxes on all Americans in these difficult times, why Harry Reid and the President want to tax old people's benefits under social security, why Harry Reid has refused to bring the last two House passed budgets up for a vote in the Senate, and why the President has insisted upon spending over 10 trillion dollars that the nation does not have, but has had to borrow.
5. Then, if Harry Reid refuses to let the Senate vote on the above passed bills, adjourn the House and run political messages daily throughout the Christmas season demanding that the Senate live up to its responsibility under the Constitution to pass a budget, and asking why they want to go over the fiscal cliff and destroy the economy.

[tobyhill]

Boehner threw a “compromise” out there he knew Obama wouldn't take but Boehner did it to show the fault will lay only with Obama and Reid.

[devolve]

.

“lunatic”

Obama is the Moon(ed) God.....

.

[hal ogen]

nobama is a marxist...and a lunatic.

[plain talk]

Exactly. Boehner needs to articulate the specifics of what is going on and how Obama is moving the goalposts, etc Boehner’s comments are too general. This is a rare opportunity for Republicans to get media face time. Why not use it to educate the public instead of the usual Boehner-speak?

[norton]

Obama has zero negotiating skills. Zero. He does not know how to negotiate with anybody.
He only knows to say, “This is what I want and if you don’t give it to me, you’re a blankity blank.”

It's worked pretty well for him and his minions up 'till now.

[ReaganGeneration2]

When the Senate shoots down Plan B, the markets will likely plunge. Defense pink slips must go out (finally). 2 million realize their unemployment $ are stopping.

Then who blinks?

[plain talk]

Well Boehner of course. But a good strong Speaker could dig his heels in and do nothing until the President blinks.

Boehner should have passed new tax cuts and permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts. That would be DoD. Anyway that never happened.

Obama has said he wants ‘balance’. Balance would seem to suggest 50% spending and 50% tax increases. Has Obama proposed that? No. So expose this farce and not do anything until there is at least reasonable agreement on terms.

[Route395]

FUBO!...A-wipe!

[kabar]

Do you have a link to the article. The Dems don’t want to touch SS.

[SaraJohnson]

Obama wants to go off the cliff...hurt Americans while blaming Boner/Republicans/tea party in his parrot media.

Since Boner can’t seem to talk...all he can do about it is cry.

We need a new speaker who can fight verbally.

[plain talk]

Yeah maybe so. I’m so burnt out on this stuff. I see no possible winning strategy for boehner. Therefore Mr Boehner give the thief what he wants and keep my taxes low. Screw everybody else. It’s every man for himself. :-)

[DBrow]

It seems odd that ALL of the republicans in the house lack negotiating skills that are commonly taught in college and business school.

Maybe this is being too cynical, but sometimes it looks like they are all acting out a play for us, so we’ll think we still have a two party system, voting counts, and paying taxes is worthwhile.

[CodeToad]

Obama wants and needs to crash to get Communism.

[combat_boots]

Change threatening to wants.

You bubble up from nothing, the dirt, the floor. 0bama’s comment to Joe the Plumber demonstrated his intent all along. He wants serfs, picking through garbage and other mierda for food and begging for alms.

We must kiss 0bama’s ring. The 0ne ring.

[dennisw]

gay boy --- "Man's Country" 
He has degenerate passive-aggressive faggot written all over his face. Not all the time but it shows about 40%

[Lazamataz]

I would like to apply for a job at Reuters. Here is my rewrite of the above article, by way of application:

Talks to avoid a fiscal crisis appeared to stall because of Republican unreasonableness on Wednesday, as President Barack Obama pointed out, correctly, that Republicans are racist troglodytes and need to be summarily put to death. A top Republican responded in a weak fashion.

As the clock ticks toward a year-end deadline, Obama put out a very reasonable offer that the House of Representatives cede all powers and duties to the White House. Speaker John Boehner called the proposal 'intruiging' but still unexplainably rejected it, causing the deadlock.

Obama said he was puzzled over what was holding up the talks and told Republicans to stop worrying about scoring "a point against the president" or "being a racist bastard" or forcing him into concessions "just for the heck of it." "It is only reasonable that I have all powers and responsibilities of Congress, and it is very hard for them to say yes to me," he told a news conference in the White House. "At some point, you know, they've got to take me out of it.

[widdle_wabbit]

He is inferring racism when he says, “It is very hard for them to say yes to me,”

He is never going to leave campaign mode because he still looks like the guy who said THEY don’t like me because I don’t look like the guys on the paper money, or some such tripe.

He is playing a dangerous game.