Open to compromise in talks on fiscal cliff:

[Junkdrawer]

Source: wtaq.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday invited congressional leaders to the White House to start negotiating a deal to prevent sharp tax hikes and spending cuts from going into effect at the end of the year and said he was "open to compromise."

"I'm open to new ideas," he said in his first White House appearance since defeating Republican Mitt Romney in Tuesday's election. "I'm committed to solving our fiscal challenges, but I refuse to accept any approach that isn't balanced." He again pushed for higher taxes for wealthier Americans.

If Congress and the administration don't act, the abrupt fiscal tightening would tip the weak economy into recession, analysts have said. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this week unemployment could rise above 9 percent year if nothing is done to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.



Read more: http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2012/nov/09/obama-says-open-to-compromise-in-talks-on-fiscal-cliff/

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I've always found that announcing a desire to compromise is NOT the way to get a good deal. Let's see how this goes.

[BeyondGeography]

1. "Announcing a desire" is not the same as "open"

Imagine he ends election week by saying he's "not open to compromise." How dumb would that be?

[Junkdrawer]

3. Or he could have just announced his plan....

Announcing you're open to compromise is announcing you don't take your own plan seriously.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Or he could just be more like this guy

[mac56]

6. Well, it's not even been three days, and

the bash party has begun.

[godai]

7. 4 years and 3 days. n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

11. You knew it was coming ...

didn't you?

[peace13]

12. Bingo! Nt

[mac56]

2. He would be walking into a trap

if he announced that he was categorically opposed to compromise.

Yes, indeed, let's see how this goes.

[Ztolkins]

4. He isn't compromising what he campaigned on

The headline makes it seem that way though...

[Major Nikon]

8. Actually this is a very shrewd move on Obama's part

Announcing a desire to compromise is not necessarily a sign of weakness.

Obama has an ace up his sleeve that will trump any card the GOP could ever hope to play. If no compromise is reached, $55 million comes right out of the military industrial complex. Poof! It's gone. This is no small deal. It cuts right to the heart and soul of what fuels the GOP. While I never underestimate the stupidity of the GOP and their willingness to slit the throat of the American worker, I'm just not so sure they would be just as willing to slit their own throat in the process.

[Dubster]

9. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[robbob]

13. Hmmmm

I believe it when I see it. Everything I have heard Bonehead say indicates he want to close tax breaks and loopholes, some of which will affect hard working middle class Americans, but is not going to budge on raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% of the population.

[rablrouzer]

10. Give Obama some room

Even before the 2008 ballots were dry, I began hearing that Obama was a disappointment.

Let's not go there again.

The President accomplished much. Isn't that why America voted for him?

I am perfectly happy to see the Bush tax cuts expire, even if it means my own taxes go up.

Not so happy about the "sequester," which would cut tens of billions from the very small part of the federal budget that is discretionary (not "wars," not Social Security and Medicare.)

Can't imagine the House Repubs want to be "blamed" for taxes on the great majority of Americans going up, while benefits for those Americans are whacked.

The only trick is to make sure the public understands it really is the Republicans who caused it.

Votes in 2012 make pretty clear that the public already does.

[limpyhobbler]

14. Sorry but shared sacrifice between millionaires and poverty-line grandmas sucks ass.

There are other ways to get money besides taking it out of vital social services.