[indianrightwinger]

First and foremost, people (self claiming conservatives) should stop treating the bill passage as if it were a “tax increase” bill that the GOP is capitulating on. It is not. Very simply, Obama won the election, held Bush tax cuts for everyone hostage, and sat back and relaxed. So, what is the GOP supposed to do? Let everyone’s taxes raise. Or, cut a sh*tt* deal to protect as many tax payers as possible. They chose the latter.

Debt ceiling is not increased. That is the next fight. If the GOP does not get anything in that deal, then we should fire them and all. That is the fight to watch and put pressure on because there is no hostage in Obama’s hands.

[jeltz25]

of course there is. Obama and the media will always come up with some new “hostage”. There was no tax deadline on the debt ceiling in 2011 and the GOP folded. The dems will go on and on about the threat of default and a recession and benefits being stopped and Boehner and McConnell will go running to Obama and Biden just as they did this time.

Do you honestly believe the GOP will get anything out of the nest debt ceiling deal? If so give me even one piece of evidence to support it?

[mrsmith]

Nevermind losing on the tax increase-or however you want it phrased.

It’s also a loss on spending cuts, without ever going to battle.

Come the debt fight what legs will we stand on after running away from spending cuts and opposition to taxes?

[indthkr]

"Obama won the election.... cut a sh*tt* deal to protect as many tax payers as possible.

Nail ==> Head

[Cu Roi]

I mostly agree with you on taxes. Problem is, the Republicans are still negotiating using short term tactics. The AMT is a good example - why they keep bailing out the Democrats from the political consequences of that policy is beyond me. Once they stop patching it, a critical mass of taxpayers will be caught up in the AMT that it will become a de facto flat tax of 28%, from which to make future cuts in tax rates. Enough divide and conquer. Also, most people that would be affected by the AMT are upper-middle class voters in high-tax blue states. Why should everybody else subsidize their choice of state government?

These constant patches to Medicare are another problem. What the "doc fix" deals do is basically overturn previous attempts at deficit reduction by reducing payments to health care providers. So when in the next so-called "grand bargain", we should be forewarned that future Medicare savings through such gimmicks will never be realized, because all the politicians know that a lot of doctors will drop out of the system.

There needs to be real concessions on entitlements now in exchange for delaying the sequesters - chained CPI would be the least they can do.

[LibLieSlayer]

BS... the gop/e should have studied what the dim party did during Bush's piss poor presidency and copied their successful destruction of both Bush and the gop. They did nothing... but Kabuki Theater.

LLS

[ProtectOurFreedom]

This deal protects younger Americans with jobs and screws older Americans who have been saving their entire lives for retirement and have large accumulated and unrealized capital gains. A whole lifetime of financial planning...pfft!! Many people are going to lose a couple hundred thou with the Obamacare tax on cap gains and the tax “deal” increase of cap gains rate by 5 points.

This “deal” does not hit everybody equally. It disproportionately hits frugal seniors who don’t have pensions, who saved for their future, and are depending on their cap gains. But if you were smart enough to work for a government and have a cushy pension, you won’t be affected.

The moral of the story? If you try to be independent, count on the government to change the rules when you are down to the 5 yard line after a life-long drive downfield.

[Tublecane]

You say Obama won, but he’s not the only one. I don’t see Democrats running the house. Why does he get to hold anything hostage? Why doesn’t anyone pressure him to cave? Oh yeah, because everything’s always Republicans’ fault. Obama could sleep his way to victory. Also, I don’t think Republicans get it, even though we pretend they are the conservative party because they are only two parties and it’s definitely not the other one.

I say force Obama to cave or call his bluff and go off the “cliff,” even if it is a tax hike, which it is. There is absolutely no reason to compromise. At least sequestration actually cuts something, though probably not as much as advertised. The resulting taxes you can blame on Obama, plus the stupid Bush the Younger Congress that couldn’t pass a bill that didn’t sunset, as well as the idiots who passed sequestration in the first place. It was so obviously a giant trap for the Stupid Party to stumble into.

[paythefiddler]

I agree that the debt ceiling is the real battle.
The part I did like about the cliff is that everbody
got hit, but at the expense of the economy.

If get no massive spending cuts, there should be
no rise in debt ceiling. Period.

-or else shut down the federal goverment
that is our real power

[paythefiddler]

I agree that the debt ceiling is the real battle.
The part I did like about the cliff is that everbody
got hit, but at the expense of the economy.

If get no massive spending cuts, there should be
no rise in debt ceiling. Period.

-or else shut down the federal goverment
that is our real power