Posted on 12/28/2012 5:14:01 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Cliff Deal Hinges on Senators White House Meeting Ends With Expressions of Cautious Optimism From Both Sides on Negotiations By JANET HOOK and CAROL E. LEE
WASHINGTON—The job of averting year-end tax increases and spending cuts landed squarely on the Senate, whose leaders said Friday they would launch a last-ditch weekend effort to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.
President Barack Obama met with all four congressional leaders in an hourlong meeting in the Oval Office to review an increasingly narrow range of options.
He later said he was "modestly optimistic" a deal could be reached, echoing comments from the top Democrat and Republican in the Senate.
"We had a good meeting down at the White House and we are engaged in discussions…in the hopes that we can come forward as early as Sunday" with a plan, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). "We'll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours," he said, adding he was "hopeful and optimistic."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) agreed the meeting was "constructive." In a warning that seemed aimed at lawmakers in both parties, he said, "whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect."
Mr. Obama said Messrs. McConnell and Reid have the weekend to reach and pass a deal.
In a move meant to pressure Republicans, Mr. Obama asked Mr. Reid and House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) to bring up a bill to extend income-tax rates for income under $250,000 and unemployment-insurance benefits if Senate leaders can't reach an agreement. "The hour for immediate action is here, it is now," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I guess that means Trent Lott was right when he said, “you can’t change
Washington”. Oh well. Down the drain we go.
Correct. Whether you hit the oak tree at 120 mph or 90 mph, the end result is the same.
The Senate already has a backlog of House passed bills on hand they can use to modify with all sorts of bizarre notions and mind bending claptrap ~ that’s the way they’ve always done it ~ they’ll do it again.
Whether Barry can realize such things or not his handlers certainly can.
Let Obama and the DEMo-rats take us over the cliff.
REPUBLICANS JUST -SAY NO!!!!!!!!
WE ARE TAXED ENOUGH!!!!!
The Democrat party is corrupt and the GOP has become a party for losers. History will bury them both.
None of these people care a whit about the Constitution! Chief Justice Roberts can’t read it.
It wasn’t for him trying; ‘cuz he sure as hell threw in the towel from day one (even talking like a Dem).
No matter the outcome, the People will get screwed again.
So much for the ‘most transparent admin. in history’, everything done behind closed doors when it should be debated and argued on the floors on Congress, so we can see and toss the SOBs out in 2 yrs.
Right, ‘cuz re-electing 97% of the same people have done SUCH a wonder?
So, no Rep = instant Dem? Damn, the 2-party cartel really gives out the kook-aid by the gallon. If people actually did their research and demanded a REAL debate/election, you’d see more 3rd party, like there should be.
The ‘lesser of two evils’ BS still doesn’t fly for the more open minded around here. Say howdy to the GOPe plantation bosses for me; but they sure as shit ain’t doing anyone any favors these days.
The people's House? Whatcha smokin? If it were the People's House we would not have O'care, since 70% of the People did not want it. Here is a clue, Boehner did want it.
You are absolutely correct.
Yes, it doesn't look so good these days but I'm still glad we have one. And I'm glad Reid did NOT get his way on this.
The first guy to come up with a political party that can figure out how to win will sweep all before him. Then, an opposition made up of a consortium of the losers will form their own political party. They will try to get 50% + 1 vote.
This will go back and forth for decades.
Both of the major parties are simply coalitions of groups that share some interests in common. Change occurs as coalition members change ~ which is why minority parties never really get much beyond the organizing stage. Virtually all minority parties in American history have been focused on single issues ~ which pretty well excludes their getting involved in coalition politics.
Getting beyond that primary political lesson, we have several layers of politics. There's the Presidency, the Senate, the House, the states ~ with their Governors and legislatures, and local or municipal bodies with, in general a mayor, and a council ~ and there are school boards, etc.
In virtually every case there's a single member district, and in every case there are two local party organizations ~ which in some cases are pretty weak, but something is there, somewhere.
The Whig party was the first large scale party to challenge the Democrats. They ended on a sour note when they ran out of ways to continue compromising on slavery. They were replaced by the Republican party which was made up of anti-tax, pro-commerce, anti-slavery Whigs ~ and some Whig state and district parties were brought in whole and unchanged by the Republicans. The remainder consisted mostly of the Abolitionist movement which was never quite able to become a party itself.
In the wake of the Whig disaster there were some smaller regional parties with narrower interests but by the end of the Civil War they'd pretty much disappeared or were absorbed by the Victorious Republicans.
Currently our major internal Republican party problem is the development of a major faction that is not devoted to any of our myriad of coalition partner's interests, but instead focuses on the mechanics of winning ~ including fund raising and polling. We call them the GOP-e. They've lost 11 major Presidential races, a good myriad of Senate races, and would have kept us as a minority party in the House except that state based movements grew up to challenge the old order and take over the House. We currently have 30 Governors and most state legislatures.
The GOP-e has failed to demonstrate over the last two Presidential races any reason for its continued existence.
Alas, they control the RNC.
My proposal for eliminating the GOP-e is simple ~ create a NEW RNC and invite the state parties to send representatives to the NEW RNC ~ and cease sending representatives to the old RNC!
Certain persons involved in GOP-e activities would simply be banned. I think we can come up with a list in any 10 minute period if we think about it even casually. Obviously all those who advocated nominating a guy who is now said by his own eldest son to have not wanted to win would be on that list.
Compare the votes in the House under Pelosi, to the votes *since* 2010.
There is a difference, even with the crapweasel RINO leadership.
Troll.
Hey idiot, we didn't just "throw all the bums out" in 2010, we voted the Democrats out and voted the Republicans in. You see how that works numbskull? Had conservatives just voted to "throw all the bums out" we would have lost lots of Republican seats to Democrats in red areas (since that stupid idea entails we vote against our own Republican incumbents) and would not have taken over the House.
So just to clear up your ignorance, 2010 was NOT a "throw all the bums out" year. It was a throw all the Democrats out and vote Republicans in year.
Troll.
Dimwit. You really are one of the slowest people here.
The bums are disproportionately Dem...except for some moles and GOP-e types.
Troll.
Listen you dolt, before you comment you might take a few moments to at least understand the subject and what the conversation is about.
tenmountainman suggested we throw all the bums out on both sides. I pointed out that it was a terrible idea which never goes anywhere, and that if we voted all incumbents (bums) out we'd actually end up voting more liberal Democrats in. In 2010 we did not just vote all the bums out, we voted Democrats out and kept our Republican incumbents in.
Now perhaps you're caught up and can quit with the diarrhea of the mouth.
obozo was elected representative of the Communist/Socialist/Marxist/Revolutionary/Jihadist/de-mocratic Parties. He’s not my president, he is the occupier in OUR White House....resist, delay, deny, obstruct.
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