Associated Press
They're nowhere near close.
After several days of silence in the ongoing fiscal talks, there was a flurry of activity yesterday, with President Obama and House Speaker Boehner not only speaking to one another, but even trading new offers in the hopes of moving closer to a resolution. So, is this evidence of progress? Not really.
For his part, the president is making new concessions, telling the Republican leader he would accept $1.4 trillion in new revenue -- down from $1.6 trillion in his previous proposal -- and Obama is prepared to take a package that includes $600 billion in spending cuts, which is $200 billion more than the president originally planned.
But if there were hopes that Boehner would reciprocate in kind, those hopes were soon dashed.
Two sources familiar with the Obama-Boehner call yesterday described it to NBC News as a "tense" conversation. Amid dueling, new proposals, Boehner proposed a permanent extension of existing tax rates for the wealthy, a Democratic source familiar with the call told NBC's Kristen Welker.
Several other news organizations have reported the same thing.
In other words, with time running out, Boehner's first offer made no concessions whatsoever. His second offer seeks to permanently lock in lower rates on income above $250,000 -- the one thing the president has said cannot be included in any deal.
It's almost as if the Speaker isn't serious about working towards a resolution to the standoff he and his party chose to create.
In the meantime, Boehner also hasn't detailed specifically what he wants in the form of entitlement cuts, nor has he spelled out how he expects to find $800 billion in new revenue without touching tax rates.
House GOP leaders told their members this morning that it's likely they'll have to work the week between Christmas and New Year's. Of course, if Boehner is still demanding a permanent tax break for millionaires and billionaires, it's hard to see the point of even continuing with the talks.
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Boehner checked out about 2 years ago, what you are seeing is a clone, who somehow found a way to hold back his tears.
GOP STRATEGY UPDATE: CHRISTMAS GIFT TO AMERICA
Tax cuts for rich people. Wage cuts for working people.
Politics is off the table. GOP legislators don't care about the spin any more. They have no shame in their pandering to the wealthiest among us and the "corporate citizens."
Just one question: When is Obama going to stop playing Charlie Brown to Boehner's Lucy?
A weak man playing a weak game.
There's Republicans out there that still don't understand what's going on in this country. The urgent, number one issue is JOBS, NOT the deficit. The immediate need is to create jobs and how do you do that; stimulus, NOT cuttting taxes. The cutting taxes experiment was tried during the George W. years and was not successful in creating meanigful job rates. In fact, with the Reublican unfunded tax breaks and the unfunded wars, we got into a deficit made worse by the bums who screwed up wall street and the banks. The way to create jobsa is to increase demand for goods and services, which is accomplished only with spendable dollars. If yiou cut the spendable cash by decrreasing entitlements, you reduce demand for goods and servises; there's a cause and effect scenario at work here. Why do you think Greece went downhill; austerity economics that cut too far thus reducing demand, which the EU finally figured out what was wrong and that stimulus was needed. So, if you want us to go like Greece, go ahead and buy into the Republican lies. Now,, when the unempoyment rate is reduced and the economy improves, then it is time to really work on deficit reduction. On the other hand, there is a movement by the Republicans, intenrionally or an unintened consequence, to create "right to work" laws that are inteneded to bust unions so Republicans can get to win the Presidency. The result has been rather than creating an improving economy in these states, the average incomes have actually decreased along with benefits. In either case, the working stiffs get screwed, and the wages stay depressed with lower purchasing power and those states' economies are furhter reduced, while the rich get richer, becuase the working stiffs elect Republicans to their state legislatures and governors' offices and Congress, mindlessly voting against their own best economic interests. It sad how dumbed down and ill informed ~ 48% of this country has become in voting Republican.
It's almost like he is trying to ruin the Republican party permanently. His refusal to work with the President is doing nothing but making most Americans angrier at their Party. In may opinion the President has given to much already.
The republicans have to be nuts to think they can still get a tax break deal in the final hour