Obama confident of tax cut deal before Jan. 1

[ProSense]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Saturday that he's ready "to roll up my sleeves" and work with congressional leaders on a tax cut deal before rates are set to rise on Jan. 1.

<...>

"We need to get this resolved and I'm confident we can do it," he said. He said he'd work through the weekend and into next week to find a compromise.

Obama said lawmakers must give the American people "the peace of mind that their taxes will not go up" come the new year. He said that will require compromise by both sides.

<...>

Obama repeated his position that it didn't make sense to extend tax cuts for the wealthy — individuals with incomes over $200,000 and couples over $250,000.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101204/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_4

[ibegurpard]

1. He has two choices I will wholeheartedly support:

sign a tax bill that reauthorizes lower and middle income tax bracket with no extension, temporary or otherwise, for the upper brackets or veto the whole thing.
Any other action he takes I will wholeheartedly oppose.

[obxhead]

2. +1

[Andy823]

4. Yes, but...

How does he get option number one? I agree he needs to veto any bill that has tax cuts for the rich in them, those making over $250,000 but I see a veto as the only option without compromising with republicans to extend tax cuts for the rich.

[davidwparker]

11. Right. Then veto the whole thing and THEN let the law

which Bush signed sunset on its own. As all know, it is in the law itself to let the tax cuts GO AWAY on its own.

Then, in January, the Dems start middle class tax cuts with NO cuts for those above 250K.

The Dems have all the advantages. I hope they do not blow it again.

[Imajika]

12. You are going to be sorely disappointed...

Because a deal with the Republicans to extend all the tax cuts is going to happen.

As I've said before, everything else your seeing in the House and Senate is theater.

[ibegurpard]

13. I fully expect to be disappointed

And will be loudly making my disappointment known when it happens.

[Old Codger]

17. Foe Sure

You can bet on it, he deal is already signed and sealed, just needs to be delivered... and that will happen in time to be christmas present for the wealthy....

[breadandwine]

45. Obama is a genius. The economy will go up in the next 2 years.

Once Obama caves to the Republicans they can say the economy went up because of THEM, not him.

This is a brilliant move by Obama......to help the GOP take over the Senate in 2012.


Brilliant!!!!!



There's a simple way to get Obama to remember he's a Democrat. If progressives on Capitol Hill told him that unless he started fighting for the little people and the Democrats that they would support GOP impeachment efforts, I guarantee Obama would start being a Democrat by Tuesday. The family feud would be over in a week. Obama may be able to deal with hostile Republicans if they go after him, but if Democrats went after him too, it would be too much. He'd have no choice but to remember who brung him to the party.


Of course, progressives won't do this. They are too busy helping Obama and walking around like deer caught in headlights. No one in the Democratic party has the guts to call Obama a Republican.

[happygoluckytoyou]

52. OBAMA.... no longer FOR the people.... lost my vote months ago

i would be just as happy with a REPUBLICAN.... at least when they are fucking you they don't PRETEND TO GIVE A SHIT

[pattmarty]

19. Before he signs anything, it has to get through BOTH houses.

[ibegurpard]

39. i'm aware of that...I'm talking about what may potentially reach his desk

[danbee46]

42. I agree, but...

...I have no faith that he won't give the Repugs what they want.
Capitulation is ugly but it's turning out to be this president's m.o.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Because Obama knows that he'll 'give in' to whatever he's asked for

It doesn't make sense to most Americans, either.

[bowens43]

5. there is no work to do.

do NOTHING. Let them expire then create a new bill next session that gives it back to the bottom 98%

[old mark]

7. That makes sense! So the politicians won't do it.....they need to create drama...nt

[felinetta]

10. I agree. He should say "out of respect to Bush's wish to let the tax end after ten years, I will let

the clock run it out. "  Can you imagine what the Repigs
would say?

[OnlinePoker]

32. Except next session, the house is controlled by the Republicans

It will be very difficult to get any bill passed then that doesn't give breaks to the upper income earners. My belief is give breaks only to corporations that create jobs here and base them on the number of jobs created. Other than that, no tax breaks for anybody...capital gains and dividends treated as direct income as well.

[Poll_Blind]

6. Roll up his sleeves and work with the congress. But this congress or the next?

:shrug:

PB

[NeoConsSuck]

9. No, he meant roll over

on his back like a scared puppy that was just approached by a larger dog.

What a pathetic POS we have as a president.

[RBInMaine]

14. This reply is a typical chunk of stinky hyperbolic shit and you should be ashamed.

[pattmarty]

21. Ashamed for what? He has PROVEN himself a weak President..........

........Jesusfuckingchrist, look at the health & financial "reforms", the military rolled him on the Afghanistan buildup, DADT, EFCA, fuck I'm getting of typing already and I haven't even named half of the shit he fucked up WHEN he had 255 Dems in the House and 60 in the fucking Senate. If you want to think this guy is the best thing since peanut butter you are entitled to your delusions I guess. By now after two years and a fucking tsunami in the mid terms if you think he is the liberal jesus I want the shit you're smoking.

[radhika]

8. Whatever the Repugs Want - that'll be the deal n/t

[BenzoDia]

15. If he doesn't make a deal now, then the Republicans will just bring the issue up

again next year with their increased numbers.

[RBInMaine]

16. Some people need a first grade civics class. Only a compromise bill can pass the Senate. The Presi-

dent is the executive. He doesn't make law. Congress does. Given Senate rules, there is no way to get a middle class tax cut bill, either re-newed or re-drafted, now or later, without a compromise that can get through a 60 Senate vote cloture procedure. Has anyone here ever had to actually govern anything? I have sat on numerous governing committees. On most issues, there is ALWAYS compromise. That is, if anyone living in the real world actually wants to get anything done. Try bitching less and governing more.

The best route is agree to no more than a two-year extension for all tax cuts attached to an unemployment insurance extension. If the R's go so far as to block that, THEN you tear THEM to shreds before a national TV audience, and the D's will WIN the day BIGTIME. But yes, of course a compromise must happen. It is called GOVERNING.

[COLGATE4]

18. According to you, the only way Obama can govern is by 'compromising'.

The question is, compromising with whom? Obama begins all negotiations by first compromising with himself, and when he's given it all away, he goes to the Rethugs who then extract a bunch of other 'compromises'. Remember that the Rethugs are the ones that defined 'bipartisanship' as 'date rape'. They mean it.

[Owl]

23. Exactly. I for one am not interested in any "compromise" whatsoever.

[doc03]

20. Maybe if he showed some leadership and used the bully

pulpit he would not have to (make a deal).

[sulphurdunn]

22. When exactly was the last time the Republicans

compromised, or the Democrats didn't cave before the Kabuki dance began?

[pattmarty]

24. No it isn't. It's called "getting fucked". In two years the Republicans.........

..........could "possibly" be in control of ALL three government bodies. Then what? I'll tell you what; the tax cuts will be made permanent. So fucking much for your "compromise".

[Milo_Bloom]

28. Some people need a history lesson.

The democrats OPPOSED these tax cuts, because they were budget busters.

Republicans had to squeak them through in reconciliation.

This isn't a good time for ANOTHER dem flip flop.

[eilen]

31. Which is why the cuts should expire

And the Dems can "squeak" one through for the middle class with reconciliation.

Let the Repubs raise taxes on the middle class (HWB anyone?). Cuz it is over for Obama in 2012.

[AlinPA]

35. Thank you RB. The Senate and House have a lot to do with legislation, not just the President.

He has the veto in the end.

[Stringertom]

54. RB in Maine why u talk down to us

Take a civics class yourself! If it were in his nature to finally do what 53% of us elected him to do, he would take a stand and promise a veto of any extension including $250+K incomes. Once the ink dries, he then goes on the offense ID'ing Ole McConnell, Boehner and Cantor as the grinches who stole tax extensions for all solely for the benefit of the ultracomfortable. The sun will continue to rise in the East, water will freeze at 32F and we'll all be a little less in debt. As to cloture, it hasn't always been a 60-vote threshold and it's never been as overused as the 111th Senate has done to abuse the American people by effectively blocking the legislative process. For a change, he has an opening on how to beat their blocking game. Let the extensions expire for all unless he gets a bill excluding some level of the ultrawealthy. It was said state Sen. Obama was a pretty good poker player after hours in Springfield. If he would start calling GOP bluffs and blow them up for their toe-dragging vs. GM/Chrysler bail-out, financial reform, START treaty, unemployment extensions, all executive/judicial nominations etc. etc., then we would have a beginning of a truthful process that might pass as governance. You must think Santa is real if you believe GOPers want governance through compromise. They want it their way and for every Dem to hit the highway. That's the Godly Offensive Parasite version of government. Have a nice day when you decide to come down off your pedestal, RB. Some of us remember when Reagans & O'Neills got together for the benefit of the whole country. To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, "I knew Tip O'Neill and neither Boehner or McConnell are a Tip O'Neill".

[Volaris]

55. RBInMaine I have a couple of quick questions...

I think that the compromise solution you've put forth (in reality)is the correct compromise...but I want to ask 2 questions...
1) would you tie Unemployment Ins. to the Tax Cut extension for the same length of time..I.E., if the tax cut extension lasts for 24 months, does Unemployment Ins. last for the same amount of time? (cause that would rock=))
2) are you willing to acknowledge that IF this were to be done, then NO ONE that votes yes on it can make any reasonable claim to actually giving a damn about the size of the Deficit/National Debt for AT LEAST the next 2 years? (If so, thats cool, I just wanted to ask you which of those things you dislike less (not worrying about the level of long-term debt, vs. meeting the immediate need of re-instating unemployment checks getting mailed out ASAP...)

[sendero]

25. A deal..

...that capitulates to the Reps by including tax cuts to the rich which the nation can no longer afford. You can be sure of that.

I would rather the whole thing just expire than get that, so once again Obama will pull the worst possible outcome out of the hat and then claim it is some kind of victory.

It's laughable and pathetic at the same time.

[eringer]

26. OBAMA - JUST SAY NO!

DO NOT GIVE IN ON THIS ONE. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE RICH PEOPLE REALIZE A GAIN FROM THEIR INVESTMENT IN THE GOP. :puke: JUST SAY NO!

[Milo_Bloom]

27. You pass these spending increase, it is YOUR DEFICIT.

[Owl]

29. I draw the line at any compromise extension of the damn Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

I ain't interested in him "rolling up his damn sleeves". Just say NO! How about a little fortitude?

[Plucketeer]

30. Just let the ALL expire!

THAT'S fiscal responsibility!

[bhikkhu]

33. Maybe he needs to stop rolling up his sleeves and just say how it will be

...as in "I'll veto any tax bill that extends the tax cuts to the wealthy", and then go on vacation or something and let the 10% approval rated congress scrap it out. I think it would do wonders for the whole country if we didn't have the three-way shit storm that the Health care bill wound up being, between Obama and the Democrats and Repugs in congress. If he just said what he would accept and let them take it from there, that would be fine.

If he vetoed the bill and everything expired, I don't think that would be a bad thing at all. It would set the precedent that getting elected President means you actually get to decide how things are going to be once in a while, and they could always offset the extra costs to people with another stimulus package or something...

[AlinPA]

37. You know what? Americans would go along with that veto and IMO, they might just

blame the republicans for working for the rich.

[bhikkhu]

38. That's what I think too

...whereas the worst-case scenario is, again, Obama wades into another 3-way shit storm and comes up with a lousy compromise that nobody likes, but he is forced to agree to.

I think some distance from the legislative process, along with an ultimatum as to what he will sign, would be the best policy. Otherwise we probably end up with another piece of crap with his name on it...As far as PR wars, I'd have to admit he has everything to lose again.

[AlinPA]

40. IMO the sad thing is that people in this country would support the veto and the

Congressional Democrats and President don't beleive in them.

[madmax]

51. Bingo nt

[SoapBox]

34. And that deal is? Caving...Giving in...Giving up...Backing down?

...take your pick.

I'll lay BIG odds that Obama will cave to the RushThugs.

It will be just another disappointment with the President.

IF I am surprised and it swings in favor of Dems and Progressives
then I'm VERY happy to say that I was wrong.

...I'm not holding my breath.

[politicalmajority]

36. Forget It If the Deal Is Extension for the Millionaires Too.

I'd rather see the Bush tax cuts expire completely so my tax rate as well as the millionaires' tax rates go up on Jan. 1, 2011.

[bc3000]

41. I feel like it's the dems in congress vs. Obama and the republicans.

[Stringertom]

43. Roll his sleeves up, practice his signature and be ready for more vetos than the Gambino family

Somebody with video files of the '08 campaign, PUHLEEZE loop all candidate Obama's whistle-stop promises of rolling back the Bush tax breaks for the top 2%. Once it's looped, have the Thin Man and his new-found BFF Geithner strapped down ala Alex in A Clockwork Orange and forced to watch it until they grow a couple of pairs of cogliones and call every GOP bluff until the new Congress is sworn in. Financial Armageddon is coming down the express track at all of us unless someone stands firm in the face of the lunatic rich. Five years prior to the first Great Depression, Coolidge signed a GOP Congress' tax rebate from 46% max rate down to 25%. Rich got richer just like since 2001. See what happened? As Emma Bull has said, "Coincidence is a word used when we can't see the levers and pulleys". Start practicing your cardboard architecture. It'll come in handy soon.

[Doctor_J]

44. Well, duh. What he means is he'll give in/up and sign whatever piece of shit

Boner wants him to this month.

[lobodons]

46. Obama is finally correct, there will be a tax deal alright!!

It is whatever the Republicans want after the Dems and WH cave.

[BenzoDia]

47. Obama said he'd compromise on a 2 year extension if it includes extending unemployment benefits.

Since people think he shouldn't budge on tax cuts, I'd like to know how everyone expects him to handle both situations w/o a compromise.

[ibegurpard]

48. hang the lack of unemployment benefits RIGHT AROUND THE FUCKING REPUKES' NECKS WHERE IT BELONGS!!

[humbled_opinion]

49. Wait A minute... there is another option...

Sunset all Bush Tax cuts.... then raise taxes on those making 250k and above and give an even larger tax cut to the rest of us..

[DeadEyeDyck]

50. I suspect that he will cave in on extending the entire

Bush tax cuts, at least for a period of time. He will use it as leverage to pass the repeal of DADT and extended UI and maybe the Dream act. He know the Pubes will do anything to keep those tax cuts and he is going for everything. He also knows he can't get the middle-class version through the senate.

[Moostache]

53. The only reason he has to roll up his sleeves is:

The Republicans told him to stop getting his sleeves in their soup while he is waiting on them.

[PFunk]

56. I also expect to be disaponted.

And will put my support into a finding someone to replace him as the Dem presidential candidate in 2012. As of this point the idiot's heading for one-termer status with a repug as out next POTUS.

Damn.

[James48]

57. NO DEAL.

Let them expire.

[Imagevision]

58. Obama is treating Americans and the middle class like their idiots...