I don’t think his intention was to jump, but rather to sieze the initiative in negotiations. He’s already achieved this. Remember that it was CONGRESS that designed the fiscal cliff—with GOP blessings..The GOP program of hostage-taking is in the process of being neutralized by voters and by attrition in government. They played all their strong hands already, divulged their strategy and can’t say what tricks they still have up their sleeves. (The answer is none, but they’ll never say so.).If the Bush tax cuts expire, the usual people will blame Obama to no political consequence. The GOP House will be perceived as the primary culprit and what non-angry-old-white-man support they have left will begin to erode to nothing. I’ll speculate that even some of the angry old white men start to defect once their tax bills go up unnecessarily.
Wall Street and CEOs are sick of this nonsense and they blame Grover Norquist. Put the entire US economy at risk and create possibility of another recession . . . because of a 4.5 point change in top marginal tax rate??
“Since this is a fiscal issue it would have to start in the House.”-Yahbut…It has to ‘start’ in the House, but I think that changing punctuation of a bill that has been passed in the Senate qualifies as starting in the House.-There is such a bill that Boehner is currently refusing to bring to a vote. I think Democrats have started a petition to allow the vote. If the petition gets 218 signatures, the tax cuts for the middle class will likely be extended WITHOUT those for the wealthy. -The Republican hostage wil have been freed.
Chillbilly over 11 years ago
I don’t think his intention was to jump, but rather to sieze the initiative in negotiations. He’s already achieved this. Remember that it was CONGRESS that designed the fiscal cliff—with GOP blessings..The GOP program of hostage-taking is in the process of being neutralized by voters and by attrition in government. They played all their strong hands already, divulged their strategy and can’t say what tricks they still have up their sleeves. (The answer is none, but they’ll never say so.).If the Bush tax cuts expire, the usual people will blame Obama to no political consequence. The GOP House will be perceived as the primary culprit and what non-angry-old-white-man support they have left will begin to erode to nothing. I’ll speculate that even some of the angry old white men start to defect once their tax bills go up unnecessarily.
corzak over 11 years ago
Wall Street and CEOs are sick of this nonsense and they blame Grover Norquist. Put the entire US economy at risk and create possibility of another recession . . . because of a 4.5 point change in top marginal tax rate??
braindead Premium Member over 11 years ago
“Since this is a fiscal issue it would have to start in the House.”-Yahbut…It has to ‘start’ in the House, but I think that changing punctuation of a bill that has been passed in the Senate qualifies as starting in the House.-There is such a bill that Boehner is currently refusing to bring to a vote. I think Democrats have started a petition to allow the vote. If the petition gets 218 signatures, the tax cuts for the middle class will likely be extended WITHOUT those for the wealthy. -The Republican hostage wil have been freed.