Surprise, surprise: Republicans refuse to consider any compromise on 'fiscal cliff'

[geek tragedy]

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=E3C09F08-C5ED-44A3-9AE4-2236ED3ED903

Hill Democrats say Republicans aren’t serious about crafting a deal that President Barack Obama can accept. The GOP’s opening offer, the sources said, would freeze the Bush-era tax rates, change the inflation calculator for entitlement programs, keep the estate tax at 2012 levels and authorize a major overhaul of the Tax Code — although they did not provide a revenue target.

The behind-the-scenes clash in negotiations stands in contrast to the more conciliatory rhetoric both sides have used in public statements, casting doubt on the coming four weeks of talks before Christmas.

In addition to wanting to keep the Bush tax rates, Republicans also want to postpone the sequester, or tens of billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts for the Pentagon and domestic programs set to kick in on Jan. 2.

President-elect Romney will certainly be willing to sign his proposal into law. Oh, wait . . .

[Turbineguy]

1. They cannot compromise,

they would get on the Norquist Shit List.

[geek tragedy]

2. Paul Ryan is running for President, so he won't ever sign onto anything

that will lead to attacks from the right in a primary.

The sequester will go forward, and there will be no deal until 2013.

[The Magistrate]

3. We Do Not Need To Negotiate, Sir: We Win If Nothing is Done Before New Year's....

"Never give a sucker an even break."

[geek tragedy]

5. There is an issue of short term damage to the economy, but that pales in comparison to the

long term damage of surrendering to unarmed terrorists.

[The Magistrate]

11. Exactly, Sir

And even that short term harm can be fixed by the new Congress, which would meet in circumstances where the enemy would have even less leverage and popularity.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

15. Exactly X2

[ProudProgressiveNow]

14. +1000 nt

[rocktivity]

4. Fine then -- Obama and 98% win no matter what

and they can run on that in 2014l

I'll bet they thought they were slick by brokering the extension.


rocktivity

[Xyzse]

6. Not a surprise

Which is why, the drumbeat should be to just let it all expire, and create a proposal of something to pass instead as a replacement. Then the debate will be, which taxes to cut instead.

This is getting stupid.

[dkf]

7. Duh...

[Dubster]

8. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[Skraxx]

9. Obama and Dems in The Cat Bird Seat, Big Time

Gee, I wonder how that happened? Couldn't have been someone thinking LONG TERM. Nahh, no one ever does that. Guess we just got lucky, right?

[GETTINGTIRED]

10. Crusty the Clown (Boehner) leading

and the stone age clusterfucks that are the Republicans is there any wonder...

[msongs]

12. obama has already weakened his own hand...got an email from "him" today saying

this is what he wants except of course that he is not "wedded" to any of it. sheesh.

[BlueMTexpat]

13. Then let them go right over it!

Their gamble failed. Romney LOST.

Let the Bush tax cuts lapse and let there be NO postponement of the sequester! Let the whole bad GOP lot go down in ignominy. They just don't get it. Most people aren't fooled by their antics any more, as proven on Nov 6. The January 2013 group will be much better to work with, if only because there will be fewer of the worst of the worst.

I'll be very glad to see the last of them. In my lifetime (almost 69 years), I've never seen a lamer "lame-duck" group. They were lame when they began in January 2011 and they never, ever caught up even to the 20th century, let alone the 21st.

Congrats to the Dems for doing so well on Nov 6! Let's make sure that they do even better in 2014!

[reflection]

16. Time for Obama

to take his case directly to the people and say "here is what the Republicans are signaling they are going to do" and then lay out his plan as to how he will address it. Explain that this is not a cliff, but just a deadline, and once we pass that deadline, he will deal with this swiftly and properly since the House can't be bothered to do their job and represent all of the people.

Just go around the Republicans at this point, and make sure the poor and middle class are told in no uncertain terms on whose behalf they are being held hostage. Put these weasels on defense.