Lame Duck Obama Invites Gridlock

[Taco John]

This is an awesome story. It's basically about how Obama plans to hard line the Republicans, and in essence invite gridlock for his second term. Cant blame him. He's a lame duck before his term begins. He has to at least show his base that he "tried" to make "progress." But for those of us who enjoy seeing Washington paralyzed, we might be in a golden age.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...e-with-myself/

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by donkhater

This is exactly the point I'm trying to make. Why is it up to the GOP? Didn't the Democrats seek and get the opportunity to lead the country for the next four years? Shouldn't the American public have the expectation that THEY provide a serious solution for our 'crisis'?

The proposal that has been put forth by the White House is essentially what they proposed in their last budget which NO ONE, democrat or republican, voted for in the Senate.

Why is it unreasonable to have the expectation that the party in the position of leadership lead? Scant spending cuts when it is obvious to anyone with a brain that nothing will change without serious spending reform is absolutely ridiculous. The GOP will counter with unpopular, yet needed, spending suggestions (which undoubtedly will still be not enough) and be demagogued like hell for it. You know and I know this is the Chicago way. That is not leadership.

The Republicans brought this on themselfs. Obama would propose a plan in the middle and then have to move to the right to get a deal done. The R's have taught him to make your first offer a partisan one because a middle of the road one doesn;t get a deal done.

The last fiscal cliff Obama caved on everything. All spending cuts and no revenue. We can't cut our way out of this mess and Obama is not going to just go along with the Republican plan like he did last time.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

opening offer. What have the R's offered as a plan?

The "R's" already gave Obama a plan and at the last minute he crapped on it.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

The "R's" already gave Obama a plan and at the last minute he crapped on it. Your turn.

When did this happen? I've watched the Sunday shows and there is no new Republican proposals.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

When did this happen? I've watched the Sunday shows and there is no new Republican proposals.

Were you sleeping under a rock when Boehner and "the R's" agreed to a budget deal that Obama changed at the last minute, or something?

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

They would be very wrong. If Republicans deny 98% of Americans a tax cut and cause America to fall off the fiscal cliff because they wanted tax cuts for the top 2% they will get clobbered as a party.

We had an election, the people voted. The tax cuts are gone for the top 2%. Thats just the initial step. The r's need to take their permanent tax cut for 98% of Americans and declare victory.

If republicans cave to the irresponsible leadership coming from the frat house they deserve to get clobbered.

Obama's plan fixes nothing. Nothing.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

The Republicans brought this on themselfs. Obama would propose a plan in the middle and then have to move to the right to get a deal done. The R's have taught him to make your first offer a partisan one because a middle of the road one doesn;t get a deal done.

The last fiscal cliff Obama caved on everything. All spending cuts and no revenue. We can't cut our way out of this mess and Obama is not going to just go along with the Republican plan like he did last time.

This is genuinely laughable. Obama proposes a centrist plan? Since when? 4:1 taxes to spending (if they happen) is a centrist proposal? No deal I have seen in the last decade (Bush included) resembles anything to what I would call a right-of-center solution.

BTW, you CAN cut your way out of this mess. In fact, it is the easiest and most sensible path. It'll hurt, but its necessary. Fact is you can't tax your way out. Simple math tells you that.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

If republicans cave to the irresponsible leadership coming from the frat house they deserve to get clobbered.

Obama's plan fixes nothing. Nothing.

This x10

[donkhater]

No matter what the result of this fiscal cliff, Republicans will get the blame. We've seen that play out time and again.

Go over the cliff? Republicans were obstructionists.
Go with Obama's plan and continue with trillion dollar deficits? It's still Bush's fault.

There is NO reason why Republicans shouldn't hold out for the deal they want. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't compromise, but they sure as hell should get some meaningful spending reforms in exchange for these asinine tax increase proposals.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by donkhater

No matter what the result of this fiscal cliff, Republicans will get the blame. We've seen that play out time and again.

Go over the cliff? Republicans were obstructionists.
Go with Obama's plan and continue with trillion dollar deficits? It's still Bush's fault.

There is NO reason why Republicans shouldn't hold out for the deal they want. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't compromise, but they sure as hell should get some meaningful spending reforms in exchange for these asinine tax increase proposals.

They'll take credit from me if they actually let it happen. The fiscal cliff is the real "grand bargain," and filled with plenty of good stuff.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by Taco John

They'll take credit from me if they actually let it happen. The fiscal cliff is the real "grand bargain," and filled with plenty of good stuff.

Agreed. Far from a cliff, it is a good start.

I don't much like the tax increases, because it masks the true problem which is spending, but if it pisses off the public, then maybe they'll wake up to what all this government actually costs.

[Taco John]

More on Obama being a Lame Duck:

Barack Obama can't pass gun control despite 90 per cent support. Truly, he is a lame-duck president

Yesterday, the most modest of gun control proposals died in the Senate. It would have expanded background checks to people purchasing weapons at gun shows and online sales, enjoyed 90 per cent support among the public and came on the back of the tragedy at Newtown. Yet, despite all that it had going for it, the Toomey-Manchin bill raised just 54 votes – six short of the number necessary for passage. “This is a pretty shameful day for Washington,” said Obama afterwards. It wasn’t exactly a red letter day for him, either.

Why did the no-brainer bill fail? Four reasons:

1. It wasn’t the political priority that its supporters presumed it was. Yes, Newtown shocked the nation – but the top priority for the public remains the economy. According to Gallup, only 4 per cent of Americans think that gun control is the “most important problem facing the country today”.

2. The National Rifle Association is smarter than we all thought. In the wake of Newtown it scored a number of own goals, including a disastrous press conference and floating the idea of armed guards in schools. But Blake Zeff argues that its extremism was calculated, that its goal was to shift the gravity of debate away from the centre ground and towards the Right – compelling Democrats to talk seriously about armed guards and stop talking about banning whole classes of weapons. The NRA, even by farce, transformed the discussion to its advantage.

3. The Democrats are dumber that we all thought. Blake Zeff, again, makes a compelling case that the Dems screwed up when they declined to rally behind a more comprehensive gun control bill – conceding leadership of the debate to the Right within their party. This is a familiar story: liberals tend to be less ambitious and tenacious than their conservative rivals.

4. Barack Obama is a lame-duck president. Nobody listens to what he says anymore, nobody is interested in winning his approval and nobody much cares if he thinks they have “let the country down”. This is typical for a second-term president who has lost all their leverage because they’re no longer running for office and everybody is patiently waiting for the day when he quits the White House. But Obama's difficult personality has doubled the size of the challenge. Gloating in victory, adolescent in defeat – the Prez doesn’t make it easy to work with him. Why should conservative senators give him a legislative victory after he has spent four years painting them as knuckle-dragging rednecks who hate women and the poor?

Whatever your position on gun control, yesterday’s events are a damning indictment of Obama’s presidency – a flash of style, lots of soaring rhetoric and, when the votes are actually counted, little show for any of it. America has four more years of this lame-duck president telling them that it has let him down. If only he could tear up the Constitution and rule by diktat he might save himself a little disappointment. Alas, American democracy is a stickler for rules.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ti...uck-president/

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We just had an election. In every campaign stop he said I will return the tax rates for income above $250K to the rates under Clinton. The majority of Americans voted for him knowing that is what he wants to do. Now he is saying I'm going to do it........ yet you are surprised?

No he isn't. He's lying using verbal sleight of hand, knowing the rabble rousing ignorant and gullible masses won't check specifics.
You fall for it every time too.

His long-delayed budget proposal is chock full of tax hikes. Many of them are camouflaged as "fees" or "rules" changes. He also chains the Consumer Price Index in a way that moves many individuals into a higher tax brackets. Wouldn't you be glad to be considered rich enough to be taxed more under this?

Middle-class taxpayers, will lose tax credits and deductions they counted on. That's a tax hike. Also, Obamacare has many more new taxes within it as well.
Unions want out of it now too.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by Taco John

4. Barack Obama is a lame-duck president. Nobody listens to what he says anymore, nobody is interested in winning his approval and nobody much cares if he thinks they have “let the country down”. This is typical for a second-term president who has lost all their leverage because they’re no longer running for office and everybody is patiently waiting for the day when he quits the White House. But Obama's difficult personality has doubled the size of the challenge. Gloating in victory, adolescent in defeat – the Prez doesn’t make it easy to work with him. Why should conservative senators give him a legislative victory after he has spent four years painting them as knuckle-dragging rednecks who hate women and the poor?


http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ti...uck-president/

No way...he's the great uniter.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Taco John

More on Obama being a Lame Duck:

Barack Obama can't pass gun control despite 90 per cent support. Truly, he is a lame-duck president

Yesterday, the most modest of gun control proposals died in the Senate. It would have expanded background checks to people purchasing weapons at gun shows and online sales, enjoyed 90 per cent support among the public and came on the back of the tragedy at Newtown. Yet, despite all that it had going for it, the Toomey-Manchin bill raised just 54 votes – six short of the number necessary for passage. “This is a pretty shameful day for Washington,” said Obama afterwards. It wasn’t exactly a red letter day for him, either.

Why did the no-brainer bill fail? Four reasons:

1. It wasn’t the political priority that its supporters presumed it was. Yes, Newtown shocked the nation – but the top priority for the public remains the economy. According to Gallup, only 4 per cent of Americans think that gun control is the “most important problem facing the country today”.

2. The National Rifle Association is smarter than we all thought. In the wake of Newtown it scored a number of own goals, including a disastrous press conference and floating the idea of armed guards in schools. But Blake Zeff argues that its extremism was calculated, that its goal was to shift the gravity of debate away from the centre ground and towards the Right – compelling Democrats to talk seriously about armed guards and stop talking about banning whole classes of weapons. The NRA, even by farce, transformed the discussion to its advantage.

3. The Democrats are dumber that we all thought. Blake Zeff, again, makes a compelling case that the Dems screwed up when they declined to rally behind a more comprehensive gun control bill – conceding leadership of the debate to the Right within their party. This is a familiar story: liberals tend to be less ambitious and tenacious than their conservative rivals.

4. Barack Obama is a lame-duck president. Nobody listens to what he says anymore, nobody is interested in winning his approval and nobody much cares if he thinks they have “let the country down”. This is typical for a second-term president who has lost all their leverage because they’re no longer running for office and everybody is patiently waiting for the day when he quits the White House. But Obama's difficult personality has doubled the size of the challenge. Gloating in victory, adolescent in defeat – the Prez doesn’t make it easy to work with him. Why should conservative senators give him a legislative victory after he has spent four years painting them as knuckle-dragging rednecks who hate women and the poor?

Whatever your position on gun control, yesterday’s events are a damning indictment of Obama’s presidency – a flash of style, lots of soaring rhetoric and, when the votes are actually counted, little show for any of it. America has four more years of this lame-duck president telling them that it has let him down. If only he could tear up the Constitution and rule by diktat he might save himself a little disappointment. Alas, American democracy is a stickler for rules.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ti...uck-president/

Nearly brought a tear to my eye.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Douchemaster General

Nearly brought a tear to my eye.

Well I certainly hope it all plays out that way. Nothing better than gridlock these days between the two parties imo.