Nearly every weekend, President Obama and a Republican deliver competing weekly addresses on an important topic of the day, and ordinarily, the rhetoric is unremarkable. But there was something in the president's address from Saturday that caught my eye.
The bulk of Obama's message was about the recently-passed fiscal agreement, approved by Congress and signed into law this week. But the president also looked ahead, pointing to the next Republican-created crisis on the horizon, and suggesting "a path forward."
After noting he's "willing to do more" to add to the $1.7 trillion in deficit reduction he's already approved, the president argued:
"I believe we can find more places to cut spending without shortchanging things like education, job training, research and technology all which are critical to our prosperity in a 21st century economy. But spending cuts must be balanced with more reforms to our tax code. The wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations shouldn't be able to take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren't available to most Americans."
This wasn't a throw-away line. Obama probably realizes last week was his one and only bite at the apple as far as raising tax rates, but when looking for "balanced" debt-reduction deals with Congress, he also believes tax "reforms" offer ample opportunities for revenue. Indeed, though Obama didn't mention it explicitly, Republican leaders have said the same thing.
Is this the sort of thing GOP lawmakers might consider acceptable as part of a bipartisan deal? More on that a little later this morning.
In the meantime, though, the president also continues to draw an unambiguous line in the sand when it comes to the debt ceiling: "[O]ne thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they've already racked up."
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Americans are beginning to understand the deep level of the Republican Party's new embrace of anarchy and the constant political campaign. Rather than forging a novel path of actually respecting the will of voters from an election just two months in the past, conservatives are showing no signs of living in a world of reality, instead relitigating issues decided at the ballot box and inventing new ways to block the progress and routine operation of our nation. The GOP would take us to the very brink of disaster, then promises they want to do it again and again and again. Cabinet positions go unfilled because of petty partisan squabbles and the delusion from the right that they control whom Obama chooses to serve him. These terrorists even turn on one of their own, Chuck Hagel, a fine man to serve as defense secretary. - progressive
When Obama agreed to raise and raise again the top bracket that would eventually receive tax breaks, he put all his eggs in one basket...And that was a good thing.
Rather than include, or codify, lots of loopholes and other goodies for the wealthy, these got left out of the last round. Now, Obama can come back to those under the umbrella of tax reform, and the GOP can't say (At least not with a straight face) "Ok, you can have capped deductions, but only if middle class taxes go up".
Likewise, the GOP is going to have a hard time saying that taxes should go down further, unless they can pony up some savings, and Obama did a good job boxing them (and the media, I think) into the idea that they can't just demand ambiguous stuff and expect Obama to negotiate against himself.
The irony of Simpson and Bowles getting together to create a bundle of joy, and the GOTP agreeing to it is significant. Now the Baggers want to abort their creation. The hypocrisy is glaring. They want the president to be responsible for this and he is not even the father. When the package is delivered it will look just like the fools who wanted to play without consequences.
Time for the baby daddy to pay some child support. Making babies is fun. Having babies takes real work.
The GOP never agreed to Simpson-Bowles. They talked about it a lot and pretended S-B had recommended exactly what they were now demanding, but the entire reason we had a fiscal cliff and still have a potential sequester is that no Republicans on the "supercommittee" would support the Simpson-Bowles proposal or any other that included any tax increases.
I don't know, Mr. Benen. The Republican brand does a very good job working with that memory hole they like to employ when they pivot from one Makebelieveland crisis to the next.
I don't see that Red Dog hunting too soon when it comes to sniffing out tax loopholes to cut! Hell, the Koch Bros. more than likely own that Dog! -Kevo
"Constitutional Professor." "Three dimensional Chess." "Throws sharp elbows under the hoop."
Please, Sir, when will you start to use them On Your Job?
If you must speak at all , my mother often advised me , say something pleasant . When you must speak with the most destructive force focussed against the success of American prosperity , it can be difficult to find a topic un smirched by the thoughts , words , and deeds of this abrasive , most destructive party .
It is impossible to point at a ghost , because they don't exist , off the stage . Then again there are the lists of Republican achievements . This cannot be examined because as a guerilla force they are committed to hit and run against a superior opponent . Unfortunately for the sand castle builders of the right the opponent is far more persistent than mere tides , the "guerilla" commitment is against logic , reason , and what we see with our eyes .
My own attitude rests comfortably between my mothers advice , enjoying a well prepared theatrical event , and keeping away from provocateurs . The ghosts of the Republican party coexist with Shakespeare's very well because they only exist as guerilla tactics , theater . I grew angry when I was younger at the snide double talk of Reagan , and it hasn't improved with the Chicken Little Cheney / Bush shoot first and don't pay bills until later , or substituting for a greater ghost the Democratic Party sorts them out .
I am glad some people read Drudge , listen to Limbaugh , watch Steve Doocey at Fox , with mildly touched narcissist Bill O'Reilly and company . It serves our country when , despite the sacrifice of dignity , one attempts a reasonable adult tone speaking to hopelessly misinformed amateur thinkers . As a group whose adoption of guerilla tactics should tether them to a short leash on a public post , not open them to the attentions of Presidential respect .
That is just me though , and I am glad someone with more patience is able , against a sensible national policy of not negotiating with hostage taking grudge bearing terrorists , to speak plainly and rationally to the blind and deaf babblers of persistent senseless rejection of the obvious .
Day,
The real question is when will any of them do their job?
We need to get at the Defense budget, but it is for reasons that escape me, off the table. We need to deal with rapidly rising health care costs, but health care cost reforms are off the table. Only the weakest and oldest among us are expected to carry every burden.
Let me recommend a book to read:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Party-Over-Republicans-ebook/dp/B007V65OLG
Anyone who believes Obama is now going to pivot and become the champion of the people and protect the programs that are vital for the middle and lower classes and the elderly and sick...... well. you simply have not been paying attention. If you want to know how the debt ceiling debate is going to turn out, and who will pay the biggest price for it, just look at Obama's record in handling these issues. If you are middle class, on medicare or medicaid, collecting Social Security, or are just in the 99%, you need to start now to brace for the ramming that is on the way. "Barack the Spineless" is getting ready to show us, yet again, how good he is at bending over backwards to give the Repubs, and the rich, what they demand. The rest of us will get pretty speeches.
Sadly, memo, I fear you are right. Biden/Mcdogface cliff deal extended the tax free deductions to corps for overseas jobs and gave $200B to corps. That lil deal got hardly any press.
Going to pivot? Look, sir or madam, since day one the GOP has been angling for Obama to cut entitlements so they could run against him for doing what they want to do once they get back in power. So stop fueling this paranoia about him -- it's been four years and where are the cuts?
Or perhaps you are one of the GOP plants trying to sow seeds of doubt on Obama. Come to think of it, that must be the case.
memo, I totally agree with you. It's most disappointing. He had every good card in the pack, or the queen and all the minor pieces on the board, whichever metaphor you prefer, and still he blew it. The Republicans were down laid out on the canvas at sixes and sevens ashen-faced in anticipation of the final knock-out blow which was inevitable... and what does Mr Pussy do? - he holds out a completely unnecessary helping hand to lift them back up onto their feet, refreshed and grinning, and on to their next bout of high jinks. Well, sadly, it's a sorry scene. Greatest Nation on Earth? Really?
jjm, "where are the cuts?" Be patient. Just a couple of more months and you'll see them. And when they happen, and all the pretty speeches are made by Obama about how this not only needed to happen, but it's good for us, we'll get back to "Republican normal". That is a term which means, the rich get richer and the poor eat cat food and die at home because they can't afford to go to the hospital. Just a couple more months. Wonder if you'll be willing to talk about it then, or will you continue to insult anyone who doesn't agree with you by calling them a Republican. Good insult by the way.
There's a reason the President doesn't seem worried about the debt ceiling hostage-taking by Republicans: because he's going to pay the hostage takers exactly what they want. You'll note what President Mammoth Cave didn't say is off-limits and note what he considered is important.
Do you notice anything glaringly missing? Mammoth Cave and his advisers are nothing but PetePetersenThink Villagers who were utterly irresponsible for locking in the Bush tax rates for 98% of tax payes and 82% of the fiscal irresponsibility. There's a reason they did that and a reason Democrats played perfectly into Republicans hands by Democrats passing it and Republicans voting against it. That was spinelessness in action right there folks but with an alternative agenda. I told everybody what a bad day that was and lots of you got pretty upset about it. Well, you're getting ready to see just what a bad day it was. Mammoth Cave is getting ready to deliver the Republicans the victory they've been waiting for. Mr. Cave is getting ready to start dismantling the 20th century.
Disgusted: In your scenario you are highly confident of, just who decides which cut to which program? In other words, since the Republicans are deathly afraid of getting specific at all in this regard, are you suggesting Obama will propose this? I don't think either party will touch Medicare beneficiaries or Social Security with a ten foot pole.
Dude! President Mammoth Cave has already offered -- BY HIMSELF -- changing to chained CPI, and raising the Medicare eligibility age.
Maybe this explains your obtuseness. You haven't been paying attention. Obama has already blown his best chance to put the nation on the right course because of his lame-brained idea that all that is needed is for "everybody to get along." TWICE. Then he went and let David Broder's ghost inhabit his body so that he became the most powerful Villager the world has ever known.
Disgusted-
That CPI proposal didn't come from the WH, it came from Boehner, and the WH entertained it.
"But spending cuts must be balanced with more reforms to our tax code. The wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations shouldn't be able to take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren't available to most Americans."
W-T-F?
Are you aware of this? : http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/01/eight-corporate-subsidies-in-the-fiscal-cliff-bill-from-goldman-sachs-to-disney-to-nascar.html
"[O]ne thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they've already racked up."
And this is the point that the President needs to emphasize over and over and over to the American people - that the deficit was created under the GOTP Congress and President, the bills are now due and must be paid! The GOTP would like US to believe that all of the bill was created since 2009 - bull-puckey - this debt needs to be paid and Congress needs to stop their shenanigans!
We do not have a "Spending Problem".
We have a "Revenue Problem".
And that is caused by our "Jobs Problem."
Full employment = Problem Solved.