What’s wrong with the Republican cliff counteroffer
1. It’s not really a proposal — it’s just a set of headline numbers without specific policies. The letter says Republicans want to cut $900 billion from mandatory spending and $300 billion from discretionary spending, but they don’t say what or how they want to cut. The letter nods toward a proposal sketched out by Erskine Bowles, the cornerstone of which is a gradual increase in the Medicare age, but it lacks specifics. …
2. The description of tax reform makes little sense. It’s feasible to raise $800 billion from base broadening over ten years, but not to raise $800 billion and finance a significant cut in tax rates. Even if you capped all itemized deductions (including for charity) at $25,000, that would only generate about $1.3 trillion in new revenue, leaving $500 billion available to finance rate cuts. …
3. The proposal does not fully avert the fiscal cliff. Republicans describe their proposals as a way to “avert the fiscal cliff.” But this proposal would only partly delay the implementation of austerity measures (tax increases and spending cuts) into future years when the economy is stronger.
Blowback
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It’s not Obama’s.
–Josh Barro
Gatsu on December 4, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Good grief, read the comments.
Cindy Munford on December 4, 2012 at 1:30 PM
It was one thing for Romney to not be too specific. He rightly pointed out that it would take congressional negotiations to get to exact numbers.
But this is congressional negotiations. If Republicans can’t be specific about what to cut, then they’re no more serious about cutting spending than Democrats.
Caiwyn on December 4, 2012 at 1:32 PM
Love it!
Schadenfreude on December 4, 2012 at 1:33 PM
What’s with all the talk of “rate cuts”? The Republicans aren’t asking for a rate cut.
Rocks on December 4, 2012 at 1:33 PM
“What’s wrong with the Republican cliff counteroffer (?)”
The very fact that Republicans are negotiating in the first place, is the real problem.
Republicans should not negotiate or capitulate – Period.
Pork-Chop on December 4, 2012 at 1:35 PM
It’s a proposal, if you don’t like it, counter propose…or, here is something unique…have the Senate pass a budget and let’s work on that.
The Republican’s are fools…every single comment regarding budget should start with “We wouldn’t be having these discussions if the Senate had passed their budget, they have not passed a budget for three years, how can we come up with changes to a budget that doesn’t exist.”
Every single Republican should have…”The dem senate has not passed a budget, that’s why we are where we are at”
And add to that…”It is difficult to work with a president whose last two budgets have not received a single vote, from even his most staunch allies, he has not received a single vote of confidence that he can create any type of budget”.
Why do the Republican’s let these successful talking points just slip through their fingers?
The Senate hasn’t proposed let alone pass a budget
The president has not received a single vote for his budgets, not one.
right2bright on December 4, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Obama doesn’t want a deal, that’s what is wrong with the offer. Polls tell him Republicans will take most of the blame, so nothing else matters. He doesn’t give a rip.
forest on December 4, 2012 at 1:38 PM
You are duped just as easy as any liberal…you can’t propose specifics without a budget…sheeesh.
What do you cut? You don’t know what their budget is to cut…why is that so difficult for ordinary people to understand.
That is exactly why the dems haven’t passed a budget…because they know the populace is too stupid to understand, you can’t make changes to something that doesn’t exist.
And “cuts” will be demagogued because their are no real actual figures. Budget items are negotiated, proposals…never mind, you and 75% of the people don’t/won’t understand.
right2bright on December 4, 2012 at 1:42 PM
You beat me to it! If that is how liberals really think, wow, this country IS beyind hope. America’s greatness is over.
JustTruth101 on December 4, 2012 at 1:42 PM
OT – This is why McCain needs to go.
McCain, a treaty supporter, argued senators who signed the letter shouldn’t feel bound to vote against the treaty because the letter only opposed consideration of treaties, not passage.
“There is no reason we shouldn’t have a vote on this,” McCain said Monday. “The letter says they oppose consideration … but we have adopted consideration.”
Rocks on December 4, 2012 at 1:44 PM
6. It doesn’t say F-you Mr. President.
LincolntheHun on December 4, 2012 at 1:52 PM
What’s wrong is that it’s the Weeping Boner caving to the Indonesian Dog-Eater … once again. The Idiot Boner is happy to raise tons of revenues with a smidgeon of spending cuts (not something that the GOP House members were elected to even think of doing).
Luckily, the Indonesian is too friggin stupid and will reject this out-of-hand. Sadly, that’s probably the correct strategy to use against the Weeping Boner since the House Idiot will give up even more – as this is pretty much the same raw deal that the Weeping Boner tried to agree with the Indonesian on last year (after which the Dog-Eating Retard reneged and went for the sequestration stupidity, instead). The Crybaby in the House hasn’t learned anything. No big surprise.
I have to say that I will never forgive the other idiots in the House who voted for this POS to be Weeper, again, after his miserable record and his culpability in the disaster of the 2012 elections – much of which is clearly the Boner’s fault as he set out since 2011 to stomp the Tea Party and kill any enthusiasm that people might have for actually being able to restore America with this crowd of cowardly morons.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 4, 2012 at 2:20 PM
I did and it is just depressing that there is that many programmed stupid people in this country.
melle1228 on December 4, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Yes they are. See p. 2 of Boehner’s letter:”…new revenue would be generated through pro-growth tax reform that closes special-interest loopholes and deductions while lowering rates.”
cam2 on December 4, 2012 at 2:32 PM
I think this is the funniest part. Obama actually proposed a new stimulus package to pay back all the big money donors who got him re-elected. He doesn’t even touch entitlements!! A “reasonable” specific list of polices? hahahhahahahahahaha, that’s a good one.
Dollayo on December 4, 2012 at 4:27 PM