House Passes Fiscal Cliff Deal, 257-167
For hours on New Year’s Day, it looked like the House Republican caucus would throw business as usual to the wind, throw a wrench in the Senate-approved tax-cut and sequestration deal, and plunge over the cliff in protest of the $4 trillion price tag in an absence of spending cuts.
GOP lawmakers reported dissension in the afternoon meeting to discuss the debt deal. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), without further explanation, told reporters that he did not support the Senate bill. There were rumors that the bill could even be pushed into Thursday — the beginning of the 113th Congress — to force negotiators to start all over with a slate of House-demanded amendments to cut spending.
But in the whip count to determine if the bill should be brought to the floor, GOP leadership whipped enough of the caucus — which recently dealt a humiliating blow to Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) Plan B compromise — into submission.
The bill passed 257-167 at 11 p.m., sending the deal to President Obama’s desk for a signature. The total included 151 Republican “nays” and 16 Democratic objectors.
Boehner voted “yes” in a rare speaker vote. Joining him was House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and conference vice-chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).
Cantor voted “no.” So did GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“Just voted NO,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) tweeted during the vote. Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) was another dissenter. Many members waited until the last minute to cast their votes.
In an hour of late-night debate, only House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) stood up in stark opposition to the bill.
“I’d like to be speaking for this bill, but I can’t,” Issa said, noting that he’s previously voted for every tax cut. “There’s $4 trillion of new debt and deficit and there’s no pay-for.”
He added that he does not believe the extension of the tax cuts will be followed by promised spending cuts. “I cannot bring myself to vote for it tonight,” Issa said.
House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) spun his support for the bill, which he called a “critical vote for the future of this country,” into a glass-half-full, noting it would make permanent the tax cuts originally crafted by his party.
“After a decade of criticizing these tax cuts, Democrats are finally joining with Republicans in making these permanent,” Camp said, promising his committee would pursue comprehensive tax reform in the next Congress.
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) argued that not passing the bill would deliver “a systemic shock to our already weak economy.”
No one from the GOP leadership spoke on the floor, and the Republicans yielded the debate to a parade of Democrats patting each others’ backs, chiding the GOP for not acting bipartisan enough, and urging passage of the deal.
“This package is vital for future deficit reduction efforts,” said Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-Mich.).
“This is no profile in courage for me to be voting for this bill,” said Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.). “We created this monster.”
Assistant Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said he had issues with the bill, but was satisfied “it does contain the element of fairness.”
As in 1974, I cannot tell the difference between a Republican or a Democrat. Both parties stand against God, Family, and Man just as Fyodor Dostoevsky stated. Not a bright future for Christian families and certainly fightening for our Grandchildren.
You are absolutely correct. We are all being played for a long time now.
The truth about the Valerie Plame case. (10 years later)
http://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/01/01/the-truth-about-the-valerie-plame-case-10-years-later/
I’m not what most people would say is a bible thumper, but that is just part of the picture. Not only in the bible is there warnings about this, but every religious book that I have been able to find. In addition most all of the founders of this country, and a handful of people in the Senate also seen a problem with this.
The problem is that we can’t borrow ourselves out of debt. Ron Paul, Lyndon LaRouche, Vladimir Putin, and many others around the world can clearly the problems in the USA and countries such as Greece. Where excessive taxation and jobs leaving the country causes a downfall. One does not need a Phd in economics to see it. Just beginning economics covers this quite well.
In the Bible people were stoned to death for paying usery, but that is not a crime in this country anymore. Also this current financial problem has been more than 100 years in the making. When our taxes go to the Federal Reserve (not even a part of our government but a private bank entity). Instead of going into programs that we as a society needs.
Also if taxes were 100% of our income it still would not pay off the debt, and the only way out of this problem is to see the problem, and go insolvent. Then not borrow anymore, but only fund what is available. That means getting rid of the fiat currency system that currently runs the country before it is more than $20 for a loaf of bread. Germany in the 1930′s, is but one of the examples of what will happen here, it will most likely not be as bad, but it is happening now.
We have growing unemployment, fewer good paying jobs, growing inflation at an exponential rate. The only reason that we do not see the numbers in the official unemployment figures is that, that is only part of the people out of work, the ones collecting unemployment. If you are out of a job and have no unemployment your not considered unemployed. As an example in the 1960′s CSU education was $20, in the 1980′s that had grown to $385, and now in 2012 it is over $3000 a semester. This is just one of the many examples of inflation. The Student loans for most people unless the economy makes a major rebound are never going to be able to pay the loans off in their lifetime.
The republicans in the House, or at least most of them did not cave. Only 85 voted for the obama tax hikes. Dipshit boehner had to ally with democrats 172… almost the entire democrap caucus. This alone should cost boehner his speakership.
Had the 125 so called conservatives, who voted against the measure, voted for the measure Boehner tried to pass last week, they would have ended up with a much better deal than they finally got shoved up their butts. Once again, the conservatives get screwed by being so high minded as to never compromise on their basic political mantra. This was politics, not philosophy. In politics you have to take the best you can get and move on to battles you have a better chance to win.
Personally, I believe that revenue should be collected before any expenditure of revenue is ever budgeted. I dislike Boehner because he is unable to control his caucus, but I dislike Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and “The Prez” a lot more. We already had the Democraps chewing on their own words because they were even considering tax breaks for the middle classes, and we thought we were going to make them cave for the whole enchilada when they controlled the Senate, the Presidency, the Media, and apparently even the Supreme Court?
Given the realities of politics, I would have happily taken the Plan B option that was offered by Boehner and forced the Democrats in the Senate to try to alter that plan before voting on it. But the purists undermined the pragmatist and we ended up with the Communist solution instead. Way to go all you intransigent voters who put a bunch of political morons into the House of Representatives. I know stupid when I see it and I have seen it way too many times. It must have been those damned Social Conservatives again, no? Sheesh.
A rebuke by 151 Repubs to Boehner, Ryan, and King of the RINOs, Bill Kristol.
“The House voted 257-167, with 172 Democrats joining 85 Republicans in supporting the measure. Voting against the bill were 151 Republicans, and the GOP leadership split over the issue: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) voted against it, while House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) voted for it. Also supporting the bill was Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) the GOP vice presidential nominee who has been an ardent opponent of increasing taxes.” [From the Wall Street Journal]
This is the end of the Republican Party. I will never vote for Republicans again after this betrayal.
I’m with you Mark. The Republican party is truely dead! It was better to do nothing than this economic killer. Sorry, facts are facts!
Why bother voting for Republicans when they do the same things, in the same ways, as the Dems? It is hard to believe that anyone could have been a worse Speaker than Pelosi, and yet Boehner has managed to do so. What a useless, dim-witted boob.
If the republicans voted yes they raised taxes. If the republicans voted no they raised taxes.
Love him or hate him President Obama played them like a fiddle.
Yeah, and a few of us saw this coming when they set up the “Super Dooper Pooper Scooper” commitee in the summer of 2011. How’s that one working out bartender?
Boehner, Cantor, and company are dumber than a box of hammers. A simpleton could see then what was going to happen.
If the Repubs want to seal their fate, they’ll vote them all back into leadership on Thursday. If any of them have any class they will do the honorable thing and resign in shame. (Laughing hysterically as I type. I just used the word “honor” in a sentence about a Congress critter.)
Cantor voted no to show he’s on your side. That’ll be enough for some!
The GOP did this to themselves.
In 2011, they would never have agreed to this sequestration/fiscal cliff deal, if they had known in advance how the 2012 election would play out.
You should never formulate current policy based on the expectation of winning a future election.
Correctamundo! “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Especially in politics.
But, but … Rasmussen, unskewedpolls.com, etc. told you Romney would win. It wasn’t as much an “expectation” that the GOP would win in November it was this alternate reality you have all created for yourselves and apparently still reside in. What will it take to get you to come out and deal with the world as it really is and not how you would like it to be?
Wishing for something doesn’t make it so. Just ask Karl Rove …
” it was this alternate reality you have all created for yourselves and apparently still reside in. What will it take to get you to come out and deal with the world as it really is and not how you would like it to be”
Cynical Wonder, this recurring theme of yours is getting very tiresome. How many times do you have to be told that this is exactly how we see you guys!!!!!
And what is worse, things like “math” and “human nature” are what they are and not what you want them to be. The reality of it all will show itself sooner than later – and you are not going to like what you see. But I am sure you will find a way to blame someone or something else.
Yes, Cyn, but Obama has the propaganda power of all those tingling legs under the newsies, like for example that of DC weapons felon David Gregory.
Any chance you can influence the evangelical wing of the tea party to join with you?
Mass exodus to the Constitution Party perhaps?
There you go! Please remember to send them money — lots of money!
There you go! Please remember to send them money — lots of money!
America is now ruled by Political morons in BOTH parties and a President re-elected by cretinous voters whose only uniformed half educated wishes are the extension of their non contributory ‘Entitlements’ . The ‘Takers’ now outnumber the ‘Makers’ and the people who actually contribute to the wealth of the country now are vastly outnumbered by the parasites and their President.
Hey, I was Mark before you were Mark…
Oh, Mark, the great majority of Repubs, 151, voted against the bill. I’m only mad at 85 of them who voted for it.Consider: baby…bath water?.
“House Passes Fiscal Cliff Deal, 257-167″
Durn! Looks like that durn constitutional electoral and congressional process got in the way yet again!
On the other hand, when the president speakes to debt limit authority being shifted from the congress to the Executive Branch — lets hope that once again the constitution gets in the way. Only the congress can authorize borrowing money to pay the bills – Article I, Section 8 of the constitution.
WTF went through Paul Ryan’s mind on that vote?!
What was going through his mind? That he was betraying the very principles he believes in so passionately. Yeah right …
Amanda, is that you again, or are you here impersonating Bob in Bridgeport?
Maybe a large dose of political reality. Ryan will survive to fight other battles, which he may actually have a chance to win, I say.
When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic. –Attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
It is over, ladies and gentlemen. Cry all you want…
I believe that it was Tocqueville, a Frenchman traveling in the USA over 170 years ago, who said something like that. It was Ben Franklin who reportedly said “You will have a Republic, if you can keep it”. Franklin was skeptical of the whole idea of self governance. Tocqueville was pointing to the eventual tyranny of the majority that has been the demise of any nation pretending towards self governance. But I am only musing. Your point is well taken.
Gosh, what a relief. I can rest easy now. I was really starting to worry that the country was in serious fiscal trouble. But now I know that the Republican leadership under Speaker Boehner is totally looking after all my concerns re huge inflation and tax increases. I’m going to sleep really good tonight.
Did you really think Boehner was going to win a high stakes political hand while holding the proverbial pair of deuces? Blame, yes. Misplaced blame, hell yes.
Here’s the problem with your analysis Jim. Boehner and McConnell hold at least three aces but are afraid to play them:
1. Boehner can threaten to not raise the debt ceiling unless the Ryan budget is passed and signed into law. This forces Obama to either start living within his means or shut down the government. Shutting down the government is pretty much a fine state of affairs for the GOP base. We WANT the government shut down. The Obama moochers will feel the pinch very quickly but these aren’t the GOPs voters anyway.
2. Threaten not to pass the next CR (continuing resolution). Again, this either forces Reid to come up with a budget or Obama to shut the government down until a budget is passed. I have no problem with this scenario.
3. McConnell can threaten to filibuster all Obama appointees in the Senate unless Reid passes the Ryan budget. This means no SCOTUS appointees, no John Kerry as SecState, no circuit judges, etc.
“I’m going to sleep really good tonight.”
Glad to hear that. Stress can sure shorten ones life and bring about any number of horrible health consequences.
Time for the Republlicans to change their mascot from the Elephant to a litter of toothless whipped puppies. Really this bunch has done nothing but sicken me, the spinlessness, go along to get along, pork barrell me too spending. Having voted R since my first vote for Reagan agains Carter I’m going to have a hard time voting R again. As yourself after 8 years of Bush with 6 years of Republican controll of government, what did conservatives every get? Bush spent badly and lavishly, rolled out massive new regs and infringed upon our freedoms = and completely set the table for Obama’s runaway government now. What the hell is the purpose of the Republican party? Just what do they stand for? At least you can look at the Dems and know what they are about, everything Un-American , untraditional, unconstitutional and ammoral.
Youve got to be kidding me.
Sequestration was better than raising taxes on the wealthy a little bit and increasing spending a little bit.
Can kicking will end badly, eventually.
Youve got to be kidding me.
Sequestration was better than raising taxes on the wealthy a little bit and increasing spending a little bit.
Can kicking will end badly, eventually.
Yep that’s possibly true in the long term.
Have you noticed that you’re the only person on this web site who will say that?
Are you SURE you belong here?
What you’re SUPPOSED to do around here is to make moronic derps like “They passed the deal – Sharia law is finally here!”
Boehner is more suited to be the mayor of the Potemkin Village than the US House Speaker. If this is what the GOP has morphed into, count me out.
I think it is time to numb my mind on old MTV videos from the Reagan era. Might start with Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore.’
Damn, just damn….
It’s not Boehner’s fault that Plan B didn’t pass the House.
It’s the fault of the TEA Party base, which refused to vote for it.
Over and over again, from 2011 onward, every proposed deal opposed by the hard-line fiscal conservatives has been followed by a new proposed deal that was even worse. But they just keep doubling down, again and again.
The GOP reminds me of a gambler who keeps losing at the gaming table, but can’t bring himself to cut his losses because he keeps hoping to win back his previous losses.
Boehner and McConnell couldn’t reverse the result of the 2012 election. That election guaranteed that Obama’s view on raising taxes on the wealthy was going to hold sway, because that’s what Obama campaigned on and the voters re-elected him.
Most astute commentary I have seen yet as I work my way down the forum. It’s a waste of time to endlessly bash the Pubs on this. The American people voted for these tax hikes in the form of a second Obama term & the Senate still in Democrat hands.
How times have changed. Now, if you simply want the federal government to live within its means, you’re a “hard-line fiscal conservative.” Some would call that being a grown-up.
sinz, you don’t know any more about the tea party than a lizard knows about Mozart.
Feh.
Yeah we all understand the pragmatics, but we’re way past the pragmatics.
Ryan just ended his national career, whether he knows it or not. Whether he cares or not. Unless he plans to become a Democrat.
Its hard to tell the difference these days. I mentioned this in another post a few days ago – if it weren’t for a few R’s balking over cuts (and look what that got them!) it would be difficult to tell them apart from the D’s. Time for a new political party to form from the dust thanks to Boehner.
We sent 535 morons to Congress and from that the cream of the morons rises to the top to take charge (Boehner and Reid) and this is what we get. Boehner won’t lose his speakership but he’s already lost the backing of many in his own party – this vote clearly shows the divide. How long do you think it’ll take Feckless Won to exploit that for profit? I’m sure his brain-trust is already scheming.
Wait a minute! How did this bill move to a straight up and down vote? Where were the amendments? Did the Speaker throw the contest?
In the Senate, Dirty Harry won’t allow a vote on ANY issue he might lose. Why would Boehner allow any vote that might work against America? The Speaker could have put a pork amendment for any Republican voting “yes,” to bribe him just as Harry did in the Senate.
An honest Speaker would NEVER have allowed an “up or down” vote on this bill. Dirty Nancy wouldn’t have!
You’re acting like the GOP Insiders are at all interested in spending cuts – they aren’t. They’re as much a party of big government as the democrats.
Actually Boehner called the vote was because he was forked from all sides. The democratic party interacts with media largely like a vertically-integrated corporation. They simply came and told Boehner that if he blocks they vote, they tell the press boys to run headlines that Republicans threw the US over the fiscal cliff and come Wednesday, everyone whose 401ks drop are going to point their fingers squarely to one place. So long as Republicans cannot set the agenda, they will be nothing more then bona fide gatekeepers to the democratic one.
So why should I ever vote Republican again?
Time for a new party.
I’ve never voted for a D in my life, now I’m not so sure I will vote for an R again either. Pointless…
The USA is now ruled by Political morons in BOTH parties. By accept such a pathetic ‘compromise’ they show they are quite content to ignore the ‘Elephant in the room’ the annual $1 Trillion SPENDING deficit. Just hiking Taxes by about $80 Billion p.a. which will only go on MORE spending anyway will not even make a ripple in this profligate spending pool. When they talk about deficit reduction they only consider reducing the GROWTH of spending which they then euphemistically call CUTS just so the naive gullible morons can salve their consciences.
So now you have a President voted in to power by non contributing benefit junkie morons and an opposition which is scared to death of its own shadow. ‘Takers’ rule ‘Makers’ cringe.
So, Obama is meeting Republicans half way on taxes, and decision on spending cuts is postponed for two months.Since it seems like there is absolutely no incentive for Republicans to do anything, and doing nothing will let the spending cuts to take effect automatically – what did Obama get in return?
Sounds to me like an exceptionally good deal for Republicans. What am I missing?
That is my understanding as well. On some level, it seems too good to be true, which makes me suspicious.
If, and in my mind it is still an “if,” the previously scheduled spending cuts kick in automatically in 60 days, then the Democrats have just relinquished their leverage and left themselves at the mercy of the Republicans. Republicans may be to stupid to exploit this, but I find it hard to believe the Democrats were stupid enough to let it happen.
There will be no spending cuts. This is the same ole same ole, promises for cuts later, which never materialize.
That is why this thing sucks.
We got pork, special tax cuts for favored special interests, tax increase on small businesses, social security tax increase of 2% and spending increases.
It sucks big time.
The ones who will have to live with this parody are the USURPER and his Regime. No longer can they hide behind the Republican controlled Congress. They have now got what they said they wanted so if the economy continues to drag along the bottom its all the USURPERS fault.
Hands up those who think that this is the conclusion the Lame Stream EneMedia will draw – Yep! just as I suspected no-one at all.
You realize that Republicans won don’t you?
Taxes on the poor and middle class go up 2% just Republicans insisted while taxes on the rich didn’t actually go up.
If you make significantly more than $450000 then that’s from investments not salary, and they didn’t raise taxes on investments.
Besides the payroll tax is only on the first $110000. It’s a tax on the middle class and poor, never the rich.
And since this doesn’t actually raise revenues, the government will still go broke allowing you guys to claim that you’re FORCED to gut social security and medicare and obamacare. This is no different than what would have happened under Romney and Ryan, with their pledge to lower taxes (and revenues) while raising spending on medicare and the military – it’s just slower.
So you got everything you wanted. The rich are still protected, the poor are screwed and the government still goes broke.
If you refuse the raise the debt ceiling then the US will lose its credit rating, interest will rise and we’ll REALLY be broke. We’ll all starve but you can totally get rid of social security and medicare THEN. You’ll have completely won. So chin up, you’re getting everything you fought for.
If what you fought for wasn’t what you WANTED then you shouldn’t have been suckers for every damn lie on Fox.
Also, since taxing the poor actually effects demand in a way that taxing the rich doesn’t, this will actually harm the economy a little where taxing the rich wouldn’t have.
So once again your party’s priorities won. The rich are more important than the economy, just like the House wanted.
I bet Grover Norquest is celebrating tonight!
Newsflash “Scholar:” We REALLY are broke. No one can call the $16 trillion debt anything but broke with a straight face. Payback is coming.
Scholar;
Like my father used to say; “You talk like a man with a paper asshole”.
Boehner should have pulled a Harry Reid and shut down the House. Taxes are going to go up any way, so why even play a rigged game?
Instead of bleeding you through your carotid artery, they just decided to use a smaller needle for your donation. The amount of blood remains the same.
It turns out I was wrong.
There were two real increases in taxes (other than the payroll tax).
1) capital gains went up 5%
2) inheritance tax went up 5% though the sequester would have pushed it up more.
So there will be a bit more revenue. That’s a good thing. Too bad all the rich people will hold their breath till they die or move to the moon because of that.
… about becoming one of the Accursed Rich Folk.
The President he elected won’t allow him that opportunity.
As to the Truly Rich taking all their marbles and leaving … that’s already happening.
And come 2014, if he enjoys Health Insurance payed for by his employer, he need not worry about that either. His employer will most likely drop their coverage and let the Death Pool have him.
Sleep comfortably in the bed you’ve made, Joshua Scholar.
It does suck..but it would not have mattered if they did nothing, everyone get’s hit with taxes, married couples more…with this bill, hold your nose, most are spared..now let’s see if the hold the line on the debt ceiling…the weathier people, can just move their money around and pay the same….remember the house is the only thing the rep. control….the dems have 2/3 of the govt…
The Republicans have no backbone at all. They will cave and get nothing in return for upping the debt limit.
From news4jax.com:
In the 257-167 vote late Tuesday, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans favored the bill; 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans opposed it.
Majority of Repubs voted against bill. Not their fault.
>>Boehner votes yes. Cantor votes no. Yet no one in the GOP leadership takes the floor during debate.<<
Which is why all of them should be the "former GOP leadership" just as soon as a vote can be held to kick them out of their positions.
"Spineless jellyfish" would be a more accurate descriptor than "GOP leadership".
There’s an old saying: Elections come with messages.
The message of the 2012 election was clear: ObamaCare is here to stay, and taxes on the wealthy are going to rise.
We don’t have proportional representation in American elections. It’s winner take all.
Boehner tried to cut the GOP’s losses on the tax issue. But the purists in his own party wouldn’t let him. The whole reason why McConnell got involved at all was that Boehner couldn’t get his own party to support his Plan B.
Sizinattie say:
“We don’t have proportional representation in American elections. It’s winner take all.”
I’m afraid they don’t teach civics in schools anymore. What a shame that some folks have no clue how our government should work.
The GOP was elected by a large margin to control the House.
But your election messages dont reflect that. You are parroting Democrat and MSM spin.
And thus concludes the term of Speaker Boehner. I am hopeful about Speaker Cantor in the next term.
Before you get too excited about “Speaker Cantor”, be aware that that “profile in courage” didn’t register his “no” vote last night until the bill already had enough “yes” votes to assure its passage. Cantor surely would be an improvement over Boehner (I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t be at this point), but don’t think it’ll be that big of a difference. It won’t.
The alternative is despairing for the next two years, so I have no choice but to be hopeful unless and until my hopes are dashed by more of the same.
Swell. Now we can go broke faster. And did you notice that now all of these major pieces of legislation are passed literally in the dead of night, with no debate and no opportunity for the public to read the legislation, let alone say anything about it? And who put the agreement together? Was it the House of Repredentatives and the various committees in Congress that drew up the bill after months of debate and revisions? Nope, it came down to Joe Biden and Mitch McConnel, two old guys who literally had the future of this nation in their hands.
How do you feel about that, America, to know that YOUR future is now in the hands of Joe Biden? This year will mark a very dangerous time for this republic, especially with the new debt ceiling fight about to take place along with the massive fight that’s about to happen over gun control. The last debt ceiling “agreement” was hatched between the Speaker of the House and the President, making Congress pretty much irrelevant. No reason to believe the same thing isn’t going to happen within the next few weeks. And as far as gun control is concerned, well, I think you’re going to see a huge fight over that, too.
I don’t know where we’re headed this year, but I do know we are probably not going to be happy with the results.
The Republican party (my party) is being routed by Barack Obama, perhaps the most corrupt and evil president I’ve seen in my fifty nine years on this planet. Where is God? Why isn’t He blessing us with victory?
“Where is God? Why isn’t He blessing us with victory?”
Because that isn’t what God wants? Perhaps God doesn’t see President Obama as “corrupt and evil” as you do. Perhaps God is blessing President Obama with victory because he sees people like you as “corrupt and evil.” That is a possibility you know. Certainly your own vanity and pride make it impossible for you to ponder that possibility, but I’m guessing God has more lessons for you to learn from to help you broaden your views.
The biggest lesson is that we shouldn’t ask God to intervene in Washington politics. On either side, FYI.
I don’t believe in the theistic God personally, so I wasn’t expressing my own view point. I was simply countering his ignorance with some more ignorance just for the entertainment aspect. That said, if there is a God I doubt she would be very interested in the daily going ons in the house of representatives.
Oh lookie lookie here. The Demunists are fighting with each other like Trotsky and Lenin.
You really think the God of the Universe cares about tax rates on the American wealthy or the Norquist pledge???
God is not an American, and He certainly isn’t a Republican.
I don’t suppose it has ever occurred to you that “blessing us with victory” is not the sort of thing God allegedly does. Our politicians are a reflection of us. The voters made it very clear what they wanted, as I stated above: A second term for Obama & the Senate under Democrat control. Only a fool would think that tax hikes were not coming or that Obamacare would stay the law of the land for at least another four years if not for good.
…not stay the law of the land….
The only time I remember hearing phrases like “blessing us with victory” said in earnest it was in Farsi, coming out of the bullhorn of an Iranian regime flack trying to incite the crowd outside of the great Mosque in Tehran.
It went along with calls to humiliate the Jews, humiliate the Christians, and humiliate the United States also death to all of us.
The crowds there no longer continence that kind of speech. Now they yell back “death to the regime” and “death to Russia (for supporting the regime)”
We should learn that much wisdom.
“God’s away on business.”
Tom Waits.
Boehner and Cantor’s heads should roll for agreeing to the sequestration scheme in the summer of 2011. It was beyond stupid and we all saw the consequences over the past 2 months.
The new leadership needs to stand up Thursday afternoon and simply say to the President that this house will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless the budget is balanced. The Repubs need to stop worrying about what the press is going to say and start worrying about whether any of their former supporters will be around in 2014.
Republican leaders probably figure, if Republican party rank and file can be seduced into (voting for) making Mitt Romney their nominee, they can be seduced into supporting practically anything; even increasing the national debt ceiling above $20 trillion as Obama will have it. Obama wants to break this nations back and the Republicans will gladly help him do it.
Again it’s kicking the can down the road, no deficit reduction and no talk of the debt ceiling. CBO scores this new and improved Obama led fiscal calamity as adding another 3.67 trillion in debt in five years. And Timmy boy is scrambling around today playing fast and loose with retirement accounts to keep his fiscal head from scrapping the debt ceiling. And Obama rejoices by jetting back on his tax payer funded private 747, senators and representatives despite their party affiliation slap each other on the back, job well done! Enough!
The GOP is beholden to too many special interests to do anything else here. Dare we list the patrons: private equity, defense contractors, financial services industry, bond traders, currency speculators, hedge funds …
Basic government financial accounting: government runs on a cash basis. Spending cuts can never pay the debt. An easy example, let’s just reduce government spending to zero. What effect does that have on accumulated debt? You still must collect taxes from someone to pay the bonds, and to pay the interest on the bonds. The rule is that a bond is fundamentally a “promise to tax [someone]“.
Taxes to repay government bonds are just another form of government transfer payment. Here those are transfer payments from the middle class to the 2%. The 2% hold the government bonds. The people paying taxes to service the bonds are the middle class.
Follow the money, this entire charade is about how to take money from working people and transfer it to rich people.
The end game involves a choice, do we make the middle class transfer more money to the rich. Or do we resolve this issue in the way that it should have been resolved in the first instance, by taxing the folks who are rich enough to spend cash on government bonds in the first instance.
GROSS NEGLIGENCE & IRRESPONSIBILITY FROM CONGRESS.
From The Heritage Foundations “The Foundry” blog:
“The legislation passed both chambers of Congress within a 24-hour period on a holiday, which meant that Members of Congress—much less the American people—did not have time to find out what was in the 157-page bill.”
The United States Congress has ignored their Constitutional responsibility and their oaths of office, AGAIN.
The American taxpayer is now a conscript of a completely corrupt government, with no possibility of redress.
Neo-Fascism has been inaugurated on a bipartisan basis. Any wonder why the number “13″ has such a bad reputation? And this will be for the whole year, instead of a day.
The Heritage Foundation is literally made up of whores.
They change their message depending on who is paying them.
Scholar????? Really?
And who are you a whore for? Who’s yo daddy?
If you’re not a pimp for the MSM, justify your worthless claim.
If you can remember the 90′s then you’ll find that the Heritage Foundation invented ObamaCare and the mandate.
So it’s extra funny when they have their bots send out hundreds of tweets calling their own idea communism and treason.
They also shilled for the tobacco industry.
So Josh feels Obama is a supporter of the Heritage Foundation from whence he steals ideas for policies…well I swon. Then I guess we won?
I think Josh has something there. Obama was (is) a smoker.
Scholar(?);
You’re living in the past, sonny. Heritage dropped the “individual mandate” before Obama was coronated the first time.
http://blog.sfgate.com/djsaunders/2012/07/03/is-individual-mandate-a-conservative-idea/
Do us all a favor and get up to date with your B.S. and non sequiturs.
You are a waste of time and space.
You didn’t contradict me.
That the foundation said that the mandate was a compromise that they supported changes everything in that it points to the fact that in 2012, the conservative movement is no longer mature enough to compromise with the public on policies that the public wants.
In other words, you’re no longer mature enough to be trusted with power, which is why you lose elections and why you will continue to lose elections.
Scholar(??);
There you go again, with your non sequiturs.
Do you realize how boring you are?
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Boehner and McConnell and the rest just handed Obama the death warrent for the GOP. They just made Republicans irrelevant, which is what Obama intended. He has succeeded where FDR failed.
It’s time for Republicans to choose new leaders; Boehner & McConnell must go if America is to be put right.
Or is it too late?
Maybe, but in my mind, it depends on the details on which I am still not sure. The so-called cliff had two components: higher taxes and lower spending. Congress just settled the tax issue by raising them much less than the cliff would have done. That’s close to half of a victory.
I have read that the spending cuts come up again in 60 days. If it is true that the pre-set cuts take effect at that time if nothing is done, the Republicans are holding all the aces. The Democrats have disarmed by settling on tax increases while still leaving open the spending cuts.
I find it hard to believe the Democrats are stupid enough to have done this, but I am hopeful.
IF the republican body, minus the evangelical tea party folks, were smart, they’d leverage the “leave entitlements alone” mantra from the dems in exchange for cutting (next to eliminating) the EPA, Interior Department, the Education Department and a wide host of other agencies and corporations of the government.
They are in perfect position to leverage cutting the size of government down to the essentials, leaving the entitlements aside for the time being.
But heres the problem with that inspite of so much noise from the ‘conservatives” as they all want to refer to themselves. Cutting or downsizing all the departments, agencies and corporations would mean a ‘great deal’ of financial subsides and services to the states and municipalities. This is someting the noise makers stubbornly ignore! Their states and local taxes would have to rise signficantly and or they have to radically adjust the taken for granted lifestyles. I think I know what the noise makers would say to that should it even come close to reality.
I have voted Republican since the 1970′s, but since Reagan, I can’t remember the Republicans doing anything positive. They’ve run a bunch of complete idiots as candidates, raised taxes, spent like drunken sailors, and folded on virtually every important issue. By doing so, they have allowed the Democrats paint them as a bunch of racist, doddering weaklings to a vast number of seriously uninformed voters.
I knew the president had Boener exactly where he wanted him when the Republicans agreed to the sequestration deal in 2011 and that Boener was going to fold like a sock puppet when it came time to collect. Let’s face facts; the speaker and his cronies are actually AFRAID of the president and care more for their damn jobs than doing what is obviously right. History has taught that the only way to defeat a tyrant is to confront him face to face and be willing to “go to the mat” and accept the consequences.
This is why I resigned from the Republican party and joined the Libertarians.
If the Republicans are going to survive, which is in doubt in my opinion, they need to clean house, literally.
At least the Democrats can say that they’ve kept their promise of bigger government and higher taxes on the “rich.” What can the Republican party say except that they’ve kept their jobs?
Shameful…..
“I can’t remember the Republicans doing anything positive.”
Thats when the Christian Right/Moral majority rose up attempting the hijack control of the party and platform. GOP downhill since!
I agree, Americans keep voting for this stuff. In the end, the voters are responsible for what we all get. They could have changed course dramatically, instead they voted to double down. This is not going to end well.
Everyone seems to want to blame someone else……while it was the 3 million or so republican voters who stayed home who deserve most of the approbation for this
Hobson’s choice presented to legistlators who had to vote one way or another.
Decrying the ‘death’ of the Republican party doesn’t fix the situation it just gives Dems more power.
My explanation for this? When you are hurtling over a cliff in a bus full of idiots and you don’t have a parachute or propeller beanie. The SAFEST thing you can do is STAY ON THE BUS!! Yes, this will end very badly… but not today. Go out and buy a bottle of B&B and a box of cigars. There should be a few good bounces on the way to the bottom. As the old Chinese curse goes – “May you live in interesting times”
Gotta love your Thelma and Louise approach. Live life with gusto … and die that way too!
Shocking! I had no Idea you were capable of it! Such words from so Meek & Mild a Lamb! If God were to hear it, She would tell you that She is neither He nor She and that you should be ashamed of yourself for your Hate Speech and for being so damned Presumptuous.
That totally went over your head. Then again, what else could one expect from Satan’s afterbirth?
… and a feeble attempt at Condescension.
You gotta be much taller than you are to get over my head, kid!
You are so Utterly Predicable!
… that Satan is one of God’s children too, and as capable of achieving reconciliation with God as you are. For all anyone knows, Lucifer already has.
Your turn to Embrace God’s Grace, Cynical Wonder.
Say, Cyn, do you live in the North…the uppa yo axx, as new Italian arrivals might say?
No I actually live in the same town that Romney lives in. The one where he wants to demolish the old mansion to put up a new one but we won’t let him. As the many Jews in my neighborhood might say, “Oy Vey, No Way!”
Right, Cynical Wonder. You couldn’t even stop another brain fart.
The cliff was an illusion. Ten percent cuts in spending are going to produce a fiscal disaster?? Nonsense. People who believe that probably believe in AGW, wherein .0016 increase in carbon dioxide will cause catastrophic temperature increases. It’s all bull. Note that nearly all the Democrats voted for it in the House and most of the Republicans voted against it. Doesn’t that tell you something, in and of itself, about the contents of the bill? It ought to. The Repubs who voted for it are all ‘business as usual’ GOPers; those who voted against it are nearly all so-called “tea party Republicans”. Who do you think has a higher probability of looking at the nation’s best interests? The same schmucks who got us into this mess or the folks who were elected to fix this mess? Take a guess.
We can point fingers here and there, but there is one place where we should point the finger at, and that is ourselves, the American citizenry. We have forfeited our responsibility in KEEPING WATCH over these scoundrels, in BOTH PARTIES for many a year. They then have become bold enough to see that they can get away with not only selling us out to everyone on the planet, but also our children’s future prosperity. There are a handful of decent men and women on both sides who see this but they are never allowed to be seen or heard from because of the power yielded by these ghouls who now RULE over us. And with the government-media ALLIANCE now out to place the blame entirely on the Repoops in an effort to scatter them or to diminish their power and influence, I predict that the Demoncrats will pickup enough seats in 2014 to regain power in the House. Then they will amend the term limit on the presidency to allow Mr. Barry to run for another term, since he is still young enough to run again. Then we will live in a Euro style Socialist America, much different that what our parents lived in, with the power of the people greatly curtailed. Boy, George Washington predicted this as in his farewell address, “…in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People, & to usurp for themselves the reins of Government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” Blame yourselves America, blame yourselves.
You guys won this round. Our supposedly marxist alinskyite president caved like he usually does. Going over the cliff would have allowed us to introduce bills in the next congress retroactively cutting rates for all those below 250K beginning next week. Congratulations, you accomplished your goal: saving an extra $9,200 each year for the top 1% (that’s the difference between the new top rate kicking in at 450K and 250K for joint filers, or 400K and 200K for individuals).
You do understand the concept of marginal rates, right?
… to have expected better from the Republican “leadership” in the House & Senate, the same people who agreed to the Debt Ceiling Compromise in 2010?
Really?
Look to 2014. Look to the Tea Party Movement. Not to hit the streets again, to rally and clean up after themselves and apply for and pay for their permits. No, look to them to shift the fire they’ve held the feet of the Republican “leadership” upwards, just below the hip – and switch from a lit torch to a lit acetylene torch.
Hopefully the Movement does not makes the same kind of mistakes it made in Delaware and Nevada, and quite possibly they won’t. Naivete has its place and its charms but ill-served the Tea Party Movement in Delaware and Nevada in 2010.
The kind of people who run the kind of rallies they did are the kind who are more likely to learn from their mistakes than, say, the OWS crowd.
also, you should all be thrilled that the payroll tax is going up by 2%, on all those Americans who allegedly “don’t pay taxes.”
No, you may be confused. The ones who pay no taxes are unemployed. They live pretty well on your money.
And I do have to say that even in the generous states, I would not use the term “pretty well” to describe live on Unemployment.
Mind you, pushing things out to 99 weeks was a really bad idea. For the unemployed as much as for anyone else.
Look at the unemployed people in Europe, and they may be materially better off, but when you look at what they get up to when they are frustrated, I’d say they’re not doing so well either.
It sucks all around right now, and pointing a finger at the people who “enjoy” the benefits you pay for is losing sight of how bad it really is. It’s also a variation of Envy.
I wasn’t talking about the unemployed. I was talking about the 47% or so who repugs claim don’t pay federal taxes although in fact 15% of their hourly employment compensation goes to US Treasury. They just got a big tax increase, starting yesterday!
… not you, Annoying Liberal. Who in their right mind would want to even fart in your general direction?
I was talking to Fred Beloit too, ya moron.
… that people with raging diarrhea, seeing him go into the restaurant bathroom, will walk ten miles to the next bathroom, just to not have be near him for five seconds longer than is humanly necessary.
… for getting me started on him. I could do this all day, and never run out of ways or reasons to insult him.
But I won’t. He’s too insignificant a flea for me to want to crush.
Isn’t it a bitch to see the tax cuts you gave to the people get eliminated? And you thought we could pay for Social Security by just printing more money. Hell, it has worked pretty good so far, right? Sheesh.
Yeah, right. I’m seeing a lot of people saying why did God allow this? As if it’s Gods’ fault. God gave us freedom of choice and the ability to think for ourselves. According to the Bible, if we want to get to Heaven we have to believe in him but we have the choice not to. He’d rather we did but it’s no skin off his nose. Don’t blame him because we made a stupid choice.
If you want to blame anyone, blame all those that either didn’t vote or voted for the worst choice. The ones that sat at home and said Oh, Romney isn’t much different than Obama, I’m not even going to bother. Who cares who we send to Washington, their all the same. My vote doesn’t count anyway, they’ll just find a way to steal it. True, Romney wasn’t much better and his heart wasn’t really in it but at least he would have been a foot in the door.
Anything would have been better than what we have now and it could have led to an even better time ahead. Not just Romney but the idiot candidates that shot themselves in the foot by opening their big mouths. Not only did they shoot down their own chances but reflected on other candidates in close races. You can’t blame Obama, he told us exactly what we were in for. We knew what it would be like if he got back in. We knew before he got in the first time. If you know any republican that sat home and didn’t vote, my suggestion is to punch them out. Just walk up and punch them right in the nose.
After that, get active. Tell your congress critter exactly what you think on every issue that comes up. Keep telling them until they finally figure out you are unhappy with what they are doing. Then keep reminding them. Even if a democrat won your election, still contact them. Let them know you’re watching them and what you think of what they are doing. Talk to your friends, talk to your workmates, talk to whoever will listen. Sure, posting here helps some but it’s like preaching to the choir. To do any good, you have to go to their sites, get your point up in enemy territory. Sure, you’ll probably get booted but maybe your post will be up long enough for someone to see and maybe think about it. Write letters to the editors and the directors of the newspapers and TV stations. While you’re at it write to their advertisers, let them know what you think of the papers and TV stations the spend their ad dollars on.
If enough of us do that we might stand a chance of turning this mess around. If not, well, there goes that free choice again, if we don’t then we deserve what we got.
HOUSE SPEAKER BOEHNER VOTES FOR OBAMA’S MARXISM
Mostly with Democratic votes, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday voted … READ MORE: http://bwcentral.org/2013/01/house-speaker-boehner-votes-for-obamas-marxism/