Senate Democrats trying to undermine Obama on fiscal cliff. Idiots.

[geek tragedy]

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/268977-bennet-and-alexander-give-leaders-emergency-backup-plan-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff

Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) have given their leaders an emergency backup plan to keep Congress from plunging off the "fiscal cliff" at year’s end.

Bennet and Alexander have submitted a three-part plan to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to keep as a last resort in case negotiations with President Obama fall short.

Bennet’s participation is notable because he is one of Reid’s top choices to take the job of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman.


The break-the-glass emergency proposal would make a substantial down payment toward deficit reduction during the lame-duck session, create a streamlined process to reach a broader deal next year and implement a default deficit-reduction plan if Congress still cannot break a stalemate in 2013.

“It simply pushes the pause button on all the elements of the fiscal cliff, extends everything for a year and then gives us six months in which to reform entitlements and reform taxes and reduce the debt,” said Alexander.

Yay!!!! Republicans get to keep tax cuts for the rich, and then we get to negotiate away Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefit cuts.

The article goes on to quote Dick Durbin as praising Pat "Club for Growth" Toomey's plan to cut spending without raising taxes on the rich, as well as the Gang of Six's deficit plan, which was the same as what Mitt Romney offered.

Put me in the Thelma & Louise caucus.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. There proposition is a LOSING proposition. It merely strengthens

the Republican power in the Senate. I guess that's what these BlueDogSenators want.

[geek tragedy]

2. The Republicans want to extend because they have a crap hand right now.

Fortunately, Obama has already promised to veto any bill extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich.

[BlueCaliDem]

7. Sadly, the BenedictArnolds within our party are helping them.

The time to get rid of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, while preserving it for the rest of us, is now. The longer we wait or the longer the RepubliDems allow to go by, only strengthens the Republicans' hand. And we didn't vote for that.

Good thing President Obama stands firm and refused to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich - just like over 68% of Americans who agree with him.

[Capt.Rocky300]

3. This bad behavior will continue..........

until we elect Democrats from the Democratic Wing of the party. I'm not too optimistic that is going to happen in the next decade.

[geek tragedy]

4. Fortunately, the veto pen can prevent this nonsense from happening. nt

[Dubster]

5. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[MrSlayer]

12. This IS what they believe in.

Why do you think they give a damn what we think? We're going to get fucked no matter what.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. "default deficit-reduction plan if Congress still cannot break a stalemate in 2013"

Wait. Wasn't that what the Budget Control Act did with the "Super Committee" (i.e. sequestration)?

[geek tragedy]

8. Yep, this is a made-up crisis to help avoid the current made-up crisis. nt

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. Yup

*sigh*

[John2]

9. I

don't think Blue dog Democrats should be acting in any way to usurp other Democrats leverage with the hatched out deals with red state Republicans. Other Democrats should put them on notice. The President should veto anything they hatch out without passing the middleclass taxcuts now and letting the other tax cuts expire period! We should not accept any back door agreements. Let the taxcuts expire and then work on a dam deal! I think people will be extremely mad if the President let these ass holes get away with backdoor deals. He is in control and needs to keep them inline.

We in North Carolina has a Democratic Senator name Kay Hagan. We can challenge her in a Democratic Primary and bring her down. If she thinks she got problems with right wing Republicans, she will definately have problems with Democrats that support her. That is her decision. That should go for any other Blue Dog Democrat. I would definately campaign against Kay Hagan and get rid of her. The Democrats in North Carolina is already damaged from being in the bed of corporations. We just need to find better candidates that don't sell out the party.

[great white snark]

10. YOU'RE IN FUCKING POWER with a mandate so quit kicking the can down the road.

Follow through with the President's plan.

[WeekendWarrior]

11. Hot air.

[socialist_n_TN]

13. I hope none of you really thought that austerity........

would be stopped in Congress. Or only in Congress anyway. A couple of million people surrounding and Occupying the Capitol legislative buildings MIGHT convince enough Dem Senators to filibuster any agreement that doesn't meet expectations, but that's what it WILL take. If they're not pushed, Simpson-Bowles will be the BEST that comes out of this manufactured "crisis". And it'll probably be worse than the Catfood Commission.

[PoliticalBiker]

14. Benett need to get Primaried

until he is replaced. I've never liked him. Always thought him a *Blue Dog* which mean republicrat under the democrat skin.
No BD's should get any committee assignments, let alone chairmanships.
A Bennett chair would drastically increase the republicrat influence.

The dems should take a page out of the republicrat book...
Side with a republicrat, lose your committee assignment. Period

With the republicrats, it was abject obstructionism. They didn't have facts or the people on thier side, they were just being obstanant to block the Presidents agenda.
Being democrats, we have truth on our side. We have the peoples' interests in mind. The people see that and are on our side.
We need to use that power the people gave us, not abuse it like the republicrats did.

[blaze]

16. How many democrats voted for Bennett? nt

[FrenchieCat]

15. Shouldn't we be calling these Senators' offices????

I mean, we can call names, but if they don't hear us, will that help us?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. No. You and I both know how DU is. They'll be blaming Obama for this.

[BlueDemKev]

18. Harry Reid needs to put that proposal in File #13

Here's the deal:

1) Tax rates are restored to Clinton-era levels (at least for wealthiest Americans).

2) Spending cuts will begin with eliminating excessive payouts to freeloading states who receive more federal aid every single year than they pay in federal taxes. Yes, some states are poor, but from now on any beneficiary state will have the amount of federal aid it receives in excess of the amount of taxes it has paid capped at 15% the first year, and 10% thereafter. No more receiving $1.70 for each dollar you pay into the federal treasury.

3) Not that this is relevant, but Obamacare is OFF the table. It is the law of the land, and it ain't going anywhere.

[gkhouston]

19. Kick the can down the road again? NO. Do your damn jobs and make

an honest attempt to solve the problem.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. Bookmarking because I know that DU will eventually blame Obama even though it is these

Blue Dog Democrats who, once again, are undermining what the rest of the Democratic Party is trying to accomplish.

I hope that DU doesn't go down this road where they automatically blame the president. These Blue Dogs have caused the Democratic Party and Obama more trouble than the Republicans.

[socialist_n_TN]

22. Sometimes the best policy is to do nothing, ESPECIALLY.........

if anything you do is worse than the consequences of doing nothing. So it's Obama's choice really. Tax cuts expiring and sequestration are the law. If they override these laws with WORSE laws, Obama can veto the worse laws. So the criticism he gets will be deserved or undeserved depending on his actions.