2. It's just a matter of time before Thelma and Louise (Repubs and Dems) sail hand in hand together over the fiscal cliff.
Posted on 12/03/2012 4:39:42 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republican House Speaker John Boehner offered the GOP's first counter-proposal in the fiscal cliff negotiations Monday, sending a letter to the White House that demands both parties negotiate from a middle ground.
The letter is actually a savvy tactical maneuver by Boehner, and underscores just how angered Republican leaders were by the White House's initial offer on the fiscal cliff.
That plan, presented to House Republicans by the Obama administration last week, called for $1.6 trillion in increased revenues, and closely mirrors the president's "Plan for Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction," which was submitted in September 2011.
In the letter Monday, Boehner blasts the Obama administration for failing to try to find common ground. Here's the key line:
"We cannot in good conscience agree to this approach, which is neither balanced nor realistic If we were to take your Administration's proposal at face value, then we would counter with the House-passed Budget Resolution [Paul Ryan's budget plan]."
Instead, Boehner doesn't counter with the Ryan budget, but proposes that the two parties use a neutral framework for negotiations: a plan outlined by former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles during a November 2011 testimony before the supercommittee. That plan proposes increasing revenues by $800 billion by cutting loopholes and deductions for the wealthiest Americans, and cutting spending by a combined $1.2 trillion.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
There will not be any spending cuts. There never are. The only way real cuts will happen is when the credit markets say so.
Someone is either putting the bravest political spin ever on what Boner is doing. Or they have hit the pipe too hard today.
Or both.
Look at this. If Boner is indeed agreeing to even 60 percent....
1. I wouldn't be surprised.
GOP - The spelunking party. We love caves.
Sorry, but this sounds like another idiot move by Boner and Co.
Cutting deductions for the upper middle class is insanity. Likewise, this rollover cuts no federal programs, eliminates no federal employees, and leaves Obamacare as-is, where-is.
The fact that Boner just cleaned out another conservative from a committee chair speaks volumes about the GOP’s commitment to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Spending cuts first, tax increases later.
Maybe she’s British. Brits think Cheez-Wiz is “Brilliant”.
Cut 20% across the board. Bush tax cuts are made permanent and all loopholes with the exception of mortgage interest closed.
Go from there.
Agree. And begin tax increases from the bottom up. Begin on low-life moochers who currently pay no taxes.
Feh. Typical Business Insider leftist crap. The proper maneuver would have been to tell Obama to shove his insulting opening posture up his Obama and come back with a decent one. No counter-offer until there is a serious offer on the table to begin with. Gotta be a Ferengi Rule of Business there somewhere....
Counter-offering foolishness only guarantees more foolishness. A counter-offer is what you do when you and the other guy are in the same neighborhood. Obama's not even on the same planet.
Brilliant? That’s what we heard about the Roberts’ decision on commie care. Good grief!
I think they watch “Pawn Stars” too much....
“Brilliant”?
Boehner actually trying to do the BASICS of his job as the leader of the “Opposition Party” ...in the MAJORITY in the House...BRILLIANT?
give me an effin’ break!!!
The Current Regime in the White Hut has not been negotiating. They have been dictating, and are somewhat affronted that the obedient Congresscritters did not just meekly go do their assigned duty, which is to simply rubberstamp the proposals.
If one side or the other is going to “negotiate”, the only effective course is to take hostages and/or find enough dirt on the other side to insure that there is mutual assured destruction, starting with shooting one hostage each day, or maybe upping it to one hostage every hour, or conversely, outing one respected member of the opposition on a similar time schedule.
The Democrats have shown they will dig up the dirt willingly enough, but they are squeemish about actually SHOOTING someone. What they should be conderned about is that the Second Amendment has not yet been overturned in the courts.
As for the threat of blackmailing the opposition, the best and most effective course is to acknowledge and even EMBRACE the dark side, and hold it aloft as a virtue, a part of heritage that has its own formative and energized thrust, that can be used as a weapon. Make the perpetrators of this agency of infamy sorry they ever opened that Pandora’s Box.
Saul Alinsky tactics turned against them.
What are the details of the offer that this “counter” offer is actually counter to?
Yeah. No need to means test it. Tax all of them an extra 10% for being allowed to keep a government job and not being unemployed. Their salaries are being paid with borrowed money after all.
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