A Republican congresswoman said the GOP is “kind of trying to find our negotiating legs” on the fiscal cliff after President Obama’s re-election.
“The timing of this probably couldn’t be worse for negotiation purposes from our perspective to some degree, right before the holidays, which is a tough time for politicians anyway,” Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) said on CNN this morning. “In some terms we feel like it’s light years between now and the new year. It’s really not. It’s right around the corner. Lawmakers will continue to feel a lot more pressure between now and then to get something done.”
“But at the same time we’re coming off the heels of this election. So to some degree we’re kind of trying to find our negotiating legs, if you will.”
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) accused his party of carrying a share of the blame.
“It is the same people negotiating the same deal all over again. And so when you get into that — what is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?” he said. “When we did the super committee last time, that was a complete failure. So no one should be surprised at where we are. And I would say this, that neither side has put up a credible plan.”
“They’re all the same ideas we’ve been talking about for 18 months, for two years. It’s the same ideas,” Mack continued. “So we’re going to put up things about revenue but not on tax increases because we know tax increases will kill people’s opportunity to find work. So we’ll find revenue but not through tax increases. We’ll make spending cuts to programs that the government and the people of this country don’t need, don’t want, don’t deserve.”
Bono Mack noted that in May hearing she asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to name one state that had higher economic growth than a state that had lower taxes and less regulation.
“He could not name a state. And yet what he’s proposing is higher taxes and more regulation,” she said. “That’s what this administration has done over the past four years.”
When asked if Congress would raise taxes, Bono Mack said, “Look, it depends on what you mean by raising taxes.”
“This is a nuanced position right now. You know, we’re talking about on our side closing loopholes. I don’t know why that can’t get traction on the other side,” she said. “But the question is, why is this happening? How should the American people feel? They should be angry about it.”
Mack lost his Senate bid to oust Bill Nelson (D) and Bono Mack lost re-election to Democrat Raul Ruiz. Their numerous joint appearances on news shows since the election suggesting they may be doing team political commentary in the future.
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