Boehner is never going to agree to the President's proposal.

[ProSense]

Sure Republicans are against revenues, but there is another problem: Republicans don't want to be tagged with the vote.

House Democrats are not going to support Social Security cuts, which means that the only way it passes the House is with Republican votes. It has no chance in the Senate.

Boehner rejects Obama budget, sight unseen

By Steve Benen

<...>

And if you're a progressive who strongly opposes changes to Social Security and Medicare, I have good news for you: House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) hasn't seen Obama's new budget, but he's already rejecting it out of hand.

House Speaker John Boehner immediately dismissed President Barack Obama's package of significant new entitlement cuts tied to new tax revenues, calling them "no way to lead and move the country forward." <...>

"The president got his tax hikes on the wealthy with no corresponding spending cuts," Boehner said. "At some point we need to solve our spending problem...."

And the Speaker got his $1.5 trillion in spending cut with no corresponding revenue in August 2011. I wonder why Boehner continues to struggle with the basics of the fiscal debate, as if he just weren't paying attention to the details. Presumably, the nation's most powerful Republican lawmaker would have an easier time keeping up on current events.

In any case, I found it especially interesting that Boehner told reporters this morning, "If the president believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to help shore up these programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes,"

That's actually an amusing, albeit familiar, trick. Boehner has effectively told the president, "You need to put Medicare and Social Security cuts on the table." So Obama is now responding, "Fine, I'll accept Medicare and Social Security cuts if you accept revenue." To which Boehner is now responding, "Now that we agree on Medicare and Social Security cuts, there's no need for revenue."

In other words, Obama is offering to trade one thing for another, while Boehner wants to look at the offer as a gift.

- more -

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/04/05/17619397-boehner-rejects-obama-budget-sight-unseen

[spanone]

1. k&r...

[MotherPetrie]

2. Obama must be so disappointed.

[Phlem]

3. Someone should have

told him that the night he was elected instead of burning through 4 years of Bipartisanship bullshit. Fuck, even I have known that for years before his election. There's no dealing with terrorists.

-yet we still do, at the peril of American citizens.



USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!

-p

[ProSense]

4. No doubt, but

"Obama must be so disappointed."

...who do you think is going to be more "disappointed": Obama or the people expecting this to pass?

[MotherPetrie]

7. Obama, of course.

[JDPriestly]

9. The damage to the Democratic Party and to the peace of mind of seniors is done

regardless of what Boehner says, whether it passes or not.

For someone who has claimed to do so much to encourage confidence in the economy, Obama sure destroyed it with this blow to seniors.

[ProSense]

14. That's

"The damage to the Democratic Party and to the peace of mind of seniors is done regardless of what Boehner says, whether it passes or not."

...absurd. If nothing passes, and I doubt anything will, this will be another failed attempt to get Republicans to accept the President's proposal, and nothing will change.

[freshwest]

5. None of what is being speculated upon will pass. So what next? We're already in the Sequester.

I have four close friends adversely affected by the Sequester for the next few months. They are aggravated but say they can handle the losses.

We talked about how TANF is being preserved and some other things for the most poor. They are glad for that and still working to mitigate the harsh effects of this latest stalemate.

It could be that Boehner can't back down as his masters might give him a long ride off a short pier if he agrees to anything Obama negotiated for. So we will have an interesting summer.

Now the leak about his owners and their offshore tax havens has come out and everyone is eager to see if Romney's name is on that list of 100,000 tax cheats.

Weird, the data was extraordinarily large, so much so that the reporter said it crashed several computers. And the reporter has no way of telling where it came from. So we'll never know if this is from our side...

Just sayin'

[Skip Intro]

6. Isn't this a starting point?

Obama will demand and get more from Repubs on tax increases when and only when he gives more on entitlement reform.

This is just the opening bid.

What will eventually be agreed upon will go steps beyond.

It's like the health-care reform thing all over again.

Let's start by ruling out single-payer.

More and more I think the whole thing is some grand charade.

[JDPriestly]

10. I think you are on to something. I think you are right.

[JDPriestly]

8. For the great many seniors whose only income is Social Security

this is an ugly, frightening game.

Why do this to seniors, to elderly people?

It is cruel for Obama to suggest this.

[Phlem]

11. +1

my point exactly.

How very classy of him.

-p

[Comrade_McKenzie]

12. You can't reason with these people right now...

It's best we just let them whine and pat each other on the back as the grownups work on the things they don't understand.

[Phlem]

13. You can't reason with these people right now

You can't reason with these people Ever!

There are no more moderate Republicans but if so they wear Democrats branding (President Obama) and they will be extinct quickly. Since corporations run the Republican party and Democrats too, signing petitions, calling our congress critter, holding the Presidents feet to the fire, wringing our hands and hoping for the best, none of that works anymore.

The only congressman that makes any sense is Bernie. He's to the left of Obama as am I and my friends and family.

I'm all out of reasoning with these fucks and I don't have the answers.

But I do know in my heart that there is no reasoning with Republicans period. Maybe it's because I was surrounded by them growing up and still am.

Any amount of trying to reason with them makes one look like a fool. Especially when they keep slapping the hand back over and over and over again.

Jeebus! What's it going to take?

-p

[dawg]

21. Yes. The politicians are all smarter than we "mere" mortals.

Why, I wonder how we even figure out how to log on to the internet sometimes.

It's not like we're lawyers, surgeons, investors, tax specialists, economists, social workers, teachers, professors, or anything like that. We're all clueless, and the "grownups" know how to handle things.

[dflprincess]

15. Do you ever get dizzy from all that spinning? nt

[jazzimov]

16. What spin? Pro just posted a quote.

If you want to accuse someone of "spin" re: this OP, then you should accuse the blogger - hmmmm, I wonder who that would be......

[ProSense]

18. Don't bother

That poster also thinks I'm Michael Tomasky.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022621868#post118

[dflprincess]

20. You wouldn't have posted either article if it didn't fit with your thinking. nt

[ProSense]

22. So

"You wouldn't have posted either article if it didn't fit with your thinking. "

...it's your undertanding that people only post articles that "fit" their "thinking?

Really?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022620870

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022618310

[jazzimov]

17. Exactly. Which should be obvious to everyone. nt

[mac56]

19. "Whatever it is... I'm against it!"

[AverageJoe90]

23. I think Obama is going to be quite relieved if this works out.....

And the Republican leadership are going to lose some of their supporters for outwardly acting the overly obtuse asses that they are.....

[spanone]

24. the house will not approve one more red cent of revenues.