John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hol

[TruthOut10]

John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hollen

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) suggested on Wednesday that House Speaker John Boehner is stalling on a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff because he is focused on saving his speakership and coming to the table with more flexibility after his reelection.

"I'm getting increasingly concerned that one of the reasons the speaker is trying to, I think, string out these discussions is that he wants to wait until January 3 when the elections for speaker take place," the House Democratic budget chief told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "And he's concerned that any agreement he reaches -- if it violated the so-called Hastert Rule -- could undermine support for him in his caucus and make it more difficult on January 3."

"I hope he wouldn't avoid the tough decisions simply to take us into January after his swearing in, but I'm becoming increasingly worried that that's exactly what's going on," Van Hollen continued.

The comments echo similar claims made by other Democrats that Boehner is struggling to garner support from GOP leadership and is more concerned with protecting his speakership than preventing automatic tax increases and spending cuts from kicking in if an agreement is not reached by the looming Dec. 31 deadline.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid commented that the disunity in the GOP was part of Boehner's problem, and that other members of Boehner's leadership team were feuding.

John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hollen

 

[kyzr]

In January when the new congress is sworn in, the dems add two senators and a few Congressmen. So as we've been saying all along. We will go over the cliff in January, and then retroactively enact whatever they can agree on. IMHO they won't change anything and we go over the cliff. No big deal. Its the tough medicine we need. Then all they do all day every day is blame each other...until we get to the Debt Ceiling in February. That's when the crap really hits the impeller.

 

[tyroneweaver]

the fiscal cliff is just a bunch of hype the dems are trying to hoodwink the uninformed.
dems believe in the mayan calender, the easter bunny, y2k, and that rich people cause recessions.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hollen

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) suggested on Wednesday that House Speaker John Boehner is stalling on a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff because he is focused on saving his speakership and coming to the table with more flexibility after his reelection.

"I'm getting increasingly concerned that one of the reasons the speaker is trying to, I think, string out these discussions is that he wants to wait until January 3 when the elections for speaker take place," the House Democratic budget chief told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "And he's concerned that any agreement he reaches -- if it violated the so-called Hastert Rule -- could undermine support for him in his caucus and make it more difficult on January 3."

"I hope he wouldn't avoid the tough decisions simply to take us into January after his swearing in, but I'm becoming increasingly worried that that's exactly what's going on," Van Hollen continued.

The comments echo similar claims made by other Democrats that Boehner is struggling to garner support from GOP leadership and is more concerned with protecting his speakership than preventing automatic tax increases and spending cuts from kicking in if an agreement is not reached by the looming Dec. 31 deadline.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid commented that the disunity in the GOP was part of Boehner's problem, and that other members of Boehner's leadership team were feuding.

John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hollen

There are a lot of idiots, this guy is one of the dumbest.

 

[Avatar4321]

Or it could simply be that he doesnt have the votes to just cave into Obama yet.

 

[waltky]

Granny says he prob'ly stallin' to see how Dec. 21st turns out...

Boehner to pursue backup bill to avert tax hikes
18 Dec.`12 WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he is readying a backup bill aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff" because President Barack Obama has yet to offer a balanced package of revenues and spending savings that would cut burgeoning federal deficits.

Boehner's measure, dubbed "plan B," would cancel tax increases due to take effect Jan. 1 on everyone earning $1 million or less, while allowing tax increases on those earning more than that amount. "I continue to have hope that we can reach a broader agreement with the White House" that would cancel a wave of tax increases and spending cuts now poised to begin in early January, Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters. But he said when it comes to offering a package that balances tax increases with spending cuts, "The president is not there yet."

In a closed-door meeting, Boehner presented his alternative to rank-and-file Republicans, who reacted coolly to any plan that includes an increase in the tax rate. Conservatives and tea partyers signaled the idea was a non-starter and Boehner lacked the votes for passage. "I think it's a terrible idea," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. "For a lot of reasons." When asked whether there was enough support among fellow Republicans to pass it, Labrador said, "I do not."

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said he is in favor of preventing tax hikes for as many taxpayers as possible, but he's not ready to support Boehner's plan. "I didn't see enough specificity to support it," Chaffetz said. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the outgoing chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said, "I'm not doing cartwheels over it, that's for sure." Jordan said Boehner's plan crosses a dangerous line by enacting higher tax rates for anyone. "I think it's a mistake for the Republican Party, so that's what I think a lot of members are struggling with," said the Ohio Republican.

In the Senate, Democratic Leader Harry Reid said the Boehner plan could not pass and urged the speaker to work out an agreement with the president. "Now is the time to show leadership, not kick the can down the road," Reid said. "Speaker Boehner should focus his energy on forging a large-scale deficit reduction agreement. It would be a shame if Republicans abandoned productive negotiations due to pressure from the tea party, as they have time and again." In addition to allowing a tax increase for million-dollar earners, the Boehner plan would prevent an expansion of the alternative minimum tax that would otherwise hit 28 million middle- and upper-class Americans with an average $3,700 increase on their 2012 tax returns.

MORE

See Also:

Obama makes new fiscal cliff tax offer as talks pick up
18 December 2012 - A deal must be struck by 1 January in order to avoid the combination of tax rises and spending cuts

US President Barack Obama has made a new offer to avoid the "fiscal cliff" as the pace of negotiations pick up. Mr Obama is now proposing a tax rise on income over $400,000 (£247,000), more than the $250,000 level he had sought. The proposal came hours after the president and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner met at the White House. Mr Boehner's office called the offer "a step in the right direction" but not fully "balanced". He earlier signalled he would agree to raising tax rates for incomes over $1m per year. The 45-minute meeting followed face-to-face discussions on Thursday and a phone call between the two on Friday.

A deal must be reached by 1 January, or a combination of steep tax rises and sharp spending cuts will take effect. Mr Boehner has reportedly also said he would accept as much as $1tn in new tax revenue over 10 years and would raise the debt ceiling to ensure the government is funded for a year. In exchange, it is reported that he would like the White House to agree to $1tn of spending cuts. "Our position has not changed. Any debt limit increase would require cuts and reforms of a greater amount," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck told the Associated Press. Neither side has released details from Monday's meeting.

'Necessary balance'

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney acknowledged on Monday that there had been a "change in tone, and in some cases, a change in position from different Republicans" on the issue of tax increases. But he added: "Thus far the president's proposal is the only proposal that we have seen that achieves the balance that's so necessary." On Monday evening, Mr Obama offered a plan that would raise $1.2tn in tax revenue over 10 years, down from $1.6tn. Tax cuts passed during the presidency of George W Bush would stay in place, with the exception of income over $400,000. Mr Obama also proposed changing the way Social Security cost of living adjustments are made for some recipients, and a two-year extension of the debt ceiling.

The president's previous proposal to avoid the fiscal cliff had called for $1.6tn in new tax revenue over 10 years. As the parameters of a possible deal begin to take shape, correspondents say there may now be renewed focus on whether Democrats agree to changes to popular entitlement programmes. Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate, has indicated that it is likely lawmakers will need to return to Washington between Christmas and New Year to vote on a deal to avert the fiscal cliff. "We will see if anything changes, but it appears that we're going to be coming back the day after Christmas to complete work on the fiscal cliff," Mr Reid said on Monday.

Details of a deal

 

[Dick Tuck]

That certainly shows that Boehner thinks first of Boehner, and then the job he was elected to do. No problem, there's less teabaggers after this congress, and many Republicans have told Norquist to go pound sand.

 

[WillowTree]

Or it could simply be that he doesnt have the votes to just cave into Obama yet.

^^^^^

 

[Dick Tuck]

 

[occupied]

Worst speaker ever, at least in my lifetime. Not sure any speaker has ever been so ineffective in getting his party to tow the line.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

John Boehner Stalling Until After Reelection On Fiscal Cliff Deal, Says Chris Van Hol

It just takes him a little while to find his way outta-the-bottle.....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2RloNSp8tc]GOP House Leader A Lazy Drunk? - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

the fiscal cliff is just a bunch of hype the dems are trying to hoodwink the uninformed.
dems believe in the mayan calender, the easter bunny, y2k, and that rich people cause recessions.

....And, we're still
KICKIN' ASS!!!!!

​

December 18, 2012

Republicans Seek To Squeeze More
From Obama​

"Republicans tried to squeeze more concessions from the White House on taxes on Tuesday in political maneuvering for a deal that would prevent the U.S. economy from going over the "fiscal cliff" in the new year.

With an agreement between President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner looking more likely, the Republicans pressed for Democrats to agree to raising taxes only on people making incomes exceeding $1 million a year.

The Republican proposal, known as Plan B, was part of a political dance by both parties to try to spin the narrative in their favor even as they edged closer to agreement.

The White House rejected the offer but remained confident of an agreement after both sides made compromises in recent days."