2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumEzra Klein - "Here’s what Republicans really hated about Obama’s news conference"
Interesting take from Ezra Klein who has argued that President Obama is going to pocket what ever tax revenues he gets now, then demand additional taxes in the future in response to Republican demands to cut spending. This is why McConnell is claiming that Obama is moving the goal posts, even though he really hasn't.
President Obamas cheerful, mocking statement enraged Republicans. But the bigger problem is he said something Republican leaders have been trying to hide from their members. Obama said, clearly, that if the GOP wants more spending cuts later, theyre going to need to hand over more taxes, too. In fact, he said it repeatedly.
He made the point when talking about the sequester:
I want to make clear that any agreement we have to deal with these automatic spending cuts that are being threatened for next month, those also have to be balanced, because, remember, my principle always has been lets do things in a balanced, responsible way. And that means the revenues have to be part of the equation in turning off the sequester and eliminating these automatic spending cuts, as well as spending cuts.
And then he made it again when talking about Medicare cuts:
* * *
Obama just moved the goalpost again. Significantly, tweeted Mitch McConnells spokesman.
Thats really why Obamas comments posed a threat to a deal. The GOPs congressional leaders want to tell their members that if they just vote for this modest tax increase now, then they can move onto the debt ceiling, where their enhanced leverage will let them force a deal thats all spending cuts. Obama, in effect, said thats not true. He said if Republicans raise taxes now, hes going to pocket that tax increase and demand tax increases in the next deal, too.
thelordofhell
(4,569 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)That part always has me
Sadiedog
(353 posts)alfredo
(60,074 posts)SunSeeker
(51,559 posts)otohara
(24,135 posts)good start to 2013
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)pacalo
(24,721 posts)Bingo!
Iggo
(47,558 posts)I'm gonna sing it all day in the prez's honor.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...did not agree with them.
Have they LOST the last modicum of sanity? Do they NOT know that elections have CONSEQUENCES???
Ford_Prefect
(7,901 posts)if it were staring them in the face as long as they thought they could win by stalling. They only believe in power, not in the community that elected them, not in the common good embodied in the Constitution and certainly not in the Bill of Rights.
They are the worst sort of opportunists and will do anything to make sure theirs is the only choice that matters.
They are treasonous scum and might better be sent to clean up from Hurricane Sandy by hand than walk the halls of congress. A small dose of THAT reality might go a long way towards re-humanizing them.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)This is what I want to see from Pres. Obama.
Freshout
(4 posts)Cha
(297,273 posts)I heard all that in his Cheerful Statement.
President Obama delivers remarks about the fiscal cliff negotiations in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Dec 31
http://theobamadiary.com/
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)smorkingapple
(827 posts)and they hate it