Posted on 12/22/2012 3:15:52 PM PST by chiller
President Obama has threatened House Speaker John Boehner that if no deal is struck on the “fiscal cliff,” he will use his Inaugural address and State of the Union speech next month to blame Republicans, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the Journal’s behind the scenes account of how fiscal cliff talks between Obama and Boehner hit a wall, what comes across is that the president is emboldened by his reelection and eager to extract more concessions from Boehner than he was willing to accept during last summer’s debt limit talks.
This excerpt from the piece is revealing:
Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.
At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
The whole article is well worth the read (subscription is required).
I remember saying this back when Reagan was president. Since then, I've stopped holding my breath.
Republicans simply not showing up would probably backfire, since the Democrats would just fill the empty seats with staffers before the cameras started rolling, and then the visual would be 100% of Congress on both sides giving repeated standing ovations and cheering when Obama gives his plans to “save the American middle class”. The only thing that might work visually (for the benefit of the watching public) would be to be there at the beginning and then walk out all together — but how do you decide in advance when to time that?
At this point, the 'Pubs have nothing to lose. They understand that the sheeple are going to blame them no matter what they do or don't do. So at least go out fighting for what you believe in. Who knows, they might get in a few punches of their own before the door slams. Better that than slink away with nothing to show.
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
That remark by Obama in response to Boehner's shows once again his egotism, narcissism, and bad faith in this negotiation. It should be going viral in the media.
There was one pleasant surprise last night: ABC radio news reported this exchange last night. (Don't know how long the people responsible for this newscast will remain employed by ABC, but I swear I heard it.)
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
That remark by Obama in response to Boehner's shows once again his egotism, narcissism, and bad faith in this negotiation. It should be going viral in the media.
There was one pleasant surprise last night: ABC radio news reported this exchange last night. (Don't know how long the people responsible for this newscast will remain employed by ABC, but I swear I heard it.)
He is not looking at today or next year. He is working on winning back the House in 2014.
The way to do this is to let the dogs of recession loose, let the middle feel the bite and then claim that he could have avoided it if only he had a cooperative House.
It will be dishonest but so far that has worked for him, and, with the continuing comlipicity of the media it will work again.
That's his aim. Two full years of complete control (Senate, House and SCOTUS) so that he can finish the job of "fundamentally changing" America.
Setting things up to crash then using those two high-profile events to hammer the GOP is step one.
Both are just preening. Neither wants anything but the destruction of America.
“At one point, according to notes taken by a participant”
Of course “we” the, subjects of Extortion-Care, are not permitted to watch and a “take notes.” They’re squeeling and leaking to extract more extortion, the ones that put forth the Massachusetts Extortioner Front Man.
This post will be lost in the noise and no one will read it, but I must vent, anyway...
Let me be blunt: I’m SO Effing TIRED of all of this! I’m to the point that I DO NOT CARE about the ‘subtle nuances’ of this or that.
We no longer HAVE a two party system. The sooner you all digest THAT, the sooner we can burn this mother DOWN and rebuild!
Seriously. Republicans WERE the ‘third party’ once-upon-a-time...WE were the ones that came out AGAINST slavery, etc. And we didn’t give an effing INCH!
And look where we are today...
Where are the MEN in my Nation? Bunch of effing p*ssies that can’t/won’t/don’t care for we women and children.
Pull yourselves up by your jockstraps and GET ON WITH IT!
Grrrrr!
The real issue is what do you have to say and who is going to transmit it to the American sheeple. 0 is just a stupid illiterate “Man’s Country” homo who is always smirking...Because he has the media in his backpocket. Same perpetual smirk that Pelosi and Harry Reid and Chuck Schummer have due to 90% media bias
You give the GOP the mainstream media and we could jam the Democrats just as good and probably better. Glenn Beck is doing his best to set up alternate networks
Their success is due to their media lackeys. You give us (Republicans and Conservatives) that media bias and we would beat the Democrats every time. They have no special abilities, they are assholes (just look at Axelrod and Plouff)
Even children know that ...
If you’re gonna get a whippin ... you might as well get a whippin’s worth.
Tell the President that the 2013 House first order of business will be to:
1) re-pass the 1 year extension of the Bush tax cuts - all of them. The Senate can take it up or not.
2) pass a budget which freezes expenditures at last year’s level minus 1% (the first real cut in decades). The House will no longer support “baseline budgeting”. While they are at it, cut the “czars” and their staffs.
3) Convene committeees to perform oversight on all federal expenditures, evaluate them for effectiveness, and recommend cuts for non-effective programs. For example, stimulus spending which costs $1 M per job will be cut.
4) announce that no debt ceiling increase will occur until the Senate passes a budget, it is negotiated with the House, it is passed by both House and Senate and signed by Obama. Remember, there is a law which mandates passing a budget.
Then House members use their Franking priviledge to inform voters of why this is in the best interest of the country.
Even children know that ...
If you’re gonna get a whippin ... you might as well get a whippin’s worth.
Tell the President that the 2013 House first order of business will be to:
1) re-pass the 1 year extension of the Bush tax cuts - all of them. The Senate can take it up or not.
2) pass a budget which freezes expenditures at last year’s level minus 1% (the first real cut in decades). The House will no longer support “baseline budgeting”. While they are at it, cut the “czars” and their staffs.
3) Convene committeees to perform oversight on all federal expenditures, evaluate them for effectiveness, and recommend cuts for non-effective programs. For example, stimulus spending which costs $1 M per job will be cut.
4) announce that no debt ceiling increase will occur until the Senate passes a budget, it is negotiated with the House, it is passed by both House and Senate and signed by Obama. Remember, there is a law which mandates passing a budget.
Then House members use their Franking priviledge to inform voters of why this is in the best interest of the country.
If he pulls that stunt during the SOTU, every Republican in Congress should get up and walk out. That would be extremely disrespectful to legislators directly elected by their constituents, and frankly, a slap in the face to the voters, who put them in office. And they should point that out to any member of the media who asks them about it.
If he pulls that stunt during the SOTU, every Republican in Congress should get up and walk out. That would be extremely disrespectful to legislators directly elected by their constituents, and frankly, a slap in the face to the voters, who put them in office. And they should point that out to any member of the media who asks them about it.
__________________________
Do you think Republicans actually have enough courage to do this? Seriously?
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