White House to Boehner: You should allow a vote on our fiscal cliff bill
As President Barack Obama cut short a Christmas vacation to resume talks to avoid the “fiscal cliff” of automatic year-end tax hikes and spending cuts, the White House on Wednesday called on congressional Republicans not to stand in the way of a resolution in the U.S. Congress.
“It’s up to the Senate Minority Leader not to block a vote, and it’s up the House Republican leader, the Speaker of the House … to allow a vote,” a senior administration official told reporters traveling with the president…
“If you think about the possibility of Congress failing to act to avert the fiscal cliff, combined with the abomination of what occurred in the summer of 2011, hits to our economy aren’t coming from external factors, they’re coming from congressional stupidity,” the official said.
Blowback
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[ding]“Please fasten your seatbelts and return your trays to the upright position. Our Pilot is anticipating some significant turbulence.”
WisRich on December 27, 2012 at 10:39 AM
The Speaker should call the WH’s bluff here. Go ahead and hold the vote. In the first place, it would force the WH to translate their vague outlines of unsubstantive offers into actual legislative text. Secondly, I bet it fails, so it would put the WH back on the same footing as the Speaker, having backed a proposal that everyone knows can’t advance.
Chuckles3 on December 27, 2012 at 10:39 AM
I say put forth two bills.
1) Extend status quo for 6 months until a deal can be reached
2) WH bill with zero changes
gophergirl on December 27, 2012 at 10:44 AM
Since every plan posed by Obama is effectively worse for us that the so-called fiscal cliff, I’m pretty okay with it. Obama and his news machine will make political hay out of the lack of a compromise trying to blame it on Republicans, but most of us know that himself and Reid are the ones refusing any true compromise.
Lawrence on December 27, 2012 at 10:52 AM
N O. No.
tommy71 on December 27, 2012 at 10:54 AM
If not blocking votes is so important to the Pres, I kind of think he needs to have a heart to heart with ole Harry Reid.
Hypocrite!
NavyMustang on December 27, 2012 at 10:54 AM
Yeah, perhaps (NMP) Obama should say the same to Dingy Harry, who, if memory serves, called Republican calls to vote on Obama’s plan a “stunt“.
William Teach on December 27, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Time to call Obama’s bluff – Republicans should quickly dust off the bill THEY want to pass or at the very least, Boehner’s version of the bill deal as he saw it and pass it.
Then Boehner should point out Obama’s rhetoric and ask him to lobby Reid to do the same for the Senate.
But I’m not going to hold my breath that we’re playing adult games here…
We’re playing kindergarten politics over who’s going to trade the carrot stick for the taxpayers chocolate pie…
Skywise on December 27, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Are they on drugs?!
Wait, they probably are.
vityas on December 27, 2012 at 11:15 AM
If they had passed plan B the White House couldn’t try this tactic. But since they didn’t the White House can and it will work. Conservative Republicans, doing the heavy lifting for Obama since 2008.
Zaggs on December 27, 2012 at 11:34 AM
I think this Country has had enough.
http://wh.gov/Q71X
This is a petition to the White House calling for the immediate resignation of everyone in Congress and the President.
We have zero leadership in Washington. There are no adults left.
Let us send a message that we need a clean slate, a fresh start, with mature and competant leaders who will actually ACT and do things for the welfare of the Nation, not for the short-term political gains for their party.
Enough is enough.
sultanp on December 27, 2012 at 11:37 AM
The Repubs have lost their message again. In part thanks to the lame stream media.
The House has passed a couple of bills to avert this ‘cliff’. Harry Reid is sitting on them – won’t let the Senate vote on them.
TerryW on December 27, 2012 at 11:57 AM