Posted on 12/17/2012 6:47:38 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has agreed to curtail future cost-of-living increases for recipients of Social Security and softened his demand for higher taxes at upper income levels as part of accelerating negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner to avoid a "fiscal cliff," people familiar with the talks said Monday.
Speaking a few hours after Obama and Boehner met at the White House, these people said the president was now seeking a higher tax rate beginning at incomes over $400,000, up from the levels of $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples that were cornerstones of his successful campaign for re-election.
Obama's willingness to reduce future cost-of-living increases in Social Security, government retirement and numerous other programs marked another clear concession to Boehner, although it came with an asterisk. The president wants lower-income recipients to receive protection against any loss from scaling back future cost of living increases, these officials said.
Nor did Obama's offer include raising the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67, a Republican goal that has drawn particularly strong objections from Democratic liberals.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Would the Democrats go along with it?
He has no wiggle room. Obama knows this.
Boehner is screwed, and he knows it.
This whole thing is a farce.
“Look, Mr. President... Just pretend you are, you know, ‘coming in my direction’ a little bit, okay? C’mon, home, gimme something! Pleeeeeease? I’m twisting in the wind here.”
“Awright, awright awready... No need for tears. Listen, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll let it leak that I am willing to discuss... ha ha ha, ‘spending cuts’, ha ha... down the road. Okay? Does that give you something to make it look like you’re accomplishing something for your side? Good. Now beat it. I gotta catch up on a couple episodes of ‘Glee’.”
“another clear concession to Boehner”
David Espo’s parents beat him constantly for lying, as did everybody in the town he grew up in, and now AP pays him to lie.
Makes you think...
That right there should be a no brainer deal breaker.
Why the hell we need to raise the debt ceiling if we’re reducing debt ???
I know, I know, they’re politicians.......sigh
= Boehner offers to let Ubama and the rats bankrupt yet another generation of Americans (this time our great-grandchildren) so that the Republicans can have the honor of being blamed for both raising taxes AND pushing granny off a cliff ("spending cuts"). That's some great work, Boehner.
"NOW, you're negotiating!"
What’s wrong with curtailing any Congressional raises?
You sir/madam nailed it the best. Have not ever read anyone else make such a clear point. When two men are screwed, they screw with each other. :)
LOL!
Now, if Bonehead would just throw in gun confiscation and amnesty
he might get his deal.
Boehner will cave and the GOP will go along with it. We serve a worthless party. A party that has let the left steamroll over them because they want to be nice. To heck with being nice ... our country is at stake.
He has no wiggle room. Obama knows this.
And why does he not have wiggle room?
Can u say the debt ceiling bargain that the GOP signed off on two years.
Just because he cut a bad deal then, does not let him off the hook now.
In fact, it is because of the bad deal he led two years ago, that has the
country on the cliff now.
Over at DU they are PEEVED!
Yeah they are pissed at Obama over there, must be a good deal if they are going batty over it.
Kabuki Theatre. 26 trillion in debt or 25 trillion in debt. A joke.
Also he is getting rid of COLA.
Haha. They're upset over at HuffPost too!
As a Social Security recipient, I am against this. But with this year's super generous COLA of 1.7% it almost doesn't make any difference.
Besides, it's based on some fairy world where there is not food nor fuel inflation.
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