Report: Obama is not making a new offer at 'fiscal cliff' meeting with congressional leaders

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

@BreakingNews: Report: Obama is not making a new offer at 'fiscal cliff' meeting with congressional leaders, source tells @Reuters

Read more: Link to source

[patrice]

1. Fuck 'em. Let's do this thing! nt

[marble falls]

6. Fuck 'em, don't give them nuthin', their days are gone.

[patrice]

8. They have proven what they are. nt

[TwilightGardener]

2. So...earlier reports of a scaled-back offer wrong?

[marble falls]

7. Better not scale back. He's holding four aces and the King of Spades. Boehner will not have a job ..

pretty damn quick and right now he's the only man in the room. Rumor is that McConnell has been meeting with the President. He has the future Senator Ryder on his ass, so he just might sell out his teabilly lobby for his constituency and a possible re-election.

[cal04]

3. Obama not making new fiscal cliff offer to Congress: source

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-fiscal-obama-planbre8br0il-20121228,0,5461211.story

President Barack Obama was not planning to make a new offer to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts that loom on January 1 at a White House meeting with congressional leaders on Friday, a source familiar with the meeting said.

At the meeting, Obama was set to ask lawmakers to hold a vote on a plan that would allow taxes to rise on those who earn $250,000 and up, and that would extend unemployment insurance benefits, according to the source. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal and Roberta Rampton)

[louis-t]

4. They've had plenty of opportunities to respond to his other 4

offers. Obama doesn't need to beg Boner for anything. Teabagger caucus won't agree to anything. Repugs suck.

[NoOneMan]

5. Subsidized vasoline

[tavernier]

9. I think they got the message when the White House waiter

passed out menus with a price list at the beginning of the meeting. No free lunches this time.

[spooky3]

10. Counter with more cuts in MILITARY spending.

There is huge bloat in that budget, with all of its $$$ for contractors, weapons systems that are unnecessary, unneeded or excessive spending on overseas bases, etc. The military budget has been spared cuts and even gotten increases beyond what the defense secretary requested, for years. But don't cut the VA hospital (etc.) budget, disability benefits, etc.

Military spending is a HUGE % of the overall budget. And defense contractors KNOW they can afford cutbacks and already have contingency plans in place.

I hear almost NOTHING about this very obvious place to cut, while harming the fewest vulnerable Americans, in all the pundit talk. And I don't hear the teabaggers coming forth to propose these cuts. I wonder why not...

[cstanleytech]

13. I actually agree.

It just has not made sense to me for our country to be spending hundreds of billions more on defense than China, Russia, Japan, France, Germany and the UK all combined are spending.

[Eleanors38]

11. I'm not that concerned about these "cliff notes"...

By the beginning of the year, the Clinton-era tax rates go BACK into effect, and spending is reduced. This results not only in predictability (such a grave concern for the business community), but a clear signal that U.S. indebtedness will be less of a problem. These were cited as the reasons for spurring an economic expansion in the late 90s and beyond. The panic over jumping the precipice has not been explained beyond the usual Fear & Drama! Film at eleven....

[AngryOldDem]

12. Well, that's great....

...but we got the word this afternoon that our Social Security taxes are going up to 6% from 4% with the next paycheck that comes out next week. For some, that is a hefty chunk of change, all because some people can't do what's right for the country.

[Luminous Animal]

14. The SS taxes should go up but with a income tax offset.

Currently, SS funding shortfalls are being supplemented through general funds. Thus, SS funding is now part of the deficit "problem" and is no longer a stand alone program and vulnerable to the whims of the austerity hawks.