Democrats Resist Cuts to Entitlement Spending

[MadMan1978]

While the President was engaging with people on twitter, John Boehner was writing up the GOP’s Christmas list for Santa Claus and had the gall to call it a “counter offer.”

In his letter Boehner claimed that Obama’s proposal wasn’t balanced and realistic, “We cannot in good conscience agree to this approach, which is neither balanced nor realistic. If we were to take your Administration’s proposal at face value, then we would counter with the House-passed Budget Resolution. It assumes an overhaul of our tax code with revenue remaining at historically normal levels and proposes structural reforms to preserve and protect the Nation’s entitlement programs, ensuring they are sustainable for the long-term rather than continuing to grow out of control. ”

According to Boehner’s letter to the President he has a set of “new” proposals that include cuts to medicare, block funding medicaid, cutting SNAP and pay cuts for Federal Employees. As for revenues, the extent of Boehner’s so called counter proposal is a repetition of the claim that closing unspecified loop holes will solve our problems.

[JustAlex]

How great is that huh......Romney's plan, and it's OBAMA who won!!!!

NOPE....I'M DONE!

Mr. President, DO NOT "Compromise"!

TAX THE RICH and we'll figure out the rest....LATER!

Unless you make it sure that the wealthiest Americans will in fact get taxed the GOP will continue obstructing until they get their way.

OBAMA WON....NOT THE GOP!

The American Public is WITH OBAMA and wanting to TAX the wealthiest Americans.


DO NOT COMPROMISE WITH THE GOP!!!

[MadMan1978]

Alex In my opion it isnt the entire GOP
It is this 5 in the house
ohn Boehner, Speaker
Eric Cantor, Majority Leader
Kevin McCarthy, Majority Whip
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Republican Conference Chairman
Dave Camp, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means
Paul Ryan, Committee on the Budget
Fred Upton, Committee on Energy & Commerce

and of course goo Mitch and his 23 million in added wealth in 8 year McConnell

- Here is one question to the GOP Lovers here
They have suggested to cut Federal employees pay- Ok- So why not cut the pay of the house and senate members as well ? they arent even offering it...

[pghin08]

I love you both, but "figure out the rest later" is what we've been doing for the past 30 years. We need logical, reasoned approaches, the party doesn't matter. Like I've said a billion times on here, there ARE precedents for our debt situation. And guess what? Not one of them was fixed by simply taxing the rich more.

Edit: By the way, there are lots of prominent GOP members that are saying they're okay with increases so long as they're met with equal cuts. That list includes:

John Boehner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2237145.html

Lindsey Graham:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...-debt-ceiling/

Saxby Chambless:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...tside-beltway/

And there are more. The GOP is experiencing massive infighting over this, so there's a significant number of people that are willing to cave on Obama's tax hikes for the wealthy. However, outside of Erskine Bowles and (of all people) Howard Dean, I see very few on the Democratic side who are willing to address entitlement reform.

You guys know me. I'm a pretty true Democrat. But I have to call things like I see it, and right now, it's the Dems who (by a small margin) are the problem.

[gladdyontherise]

I love you both, but "figure out the rest later" is what we've been doing for the past 30 years. We need logical, reasoned approaches, the party doesn't matter. Like I've said a billion times on here, there ARE precedents for our debt situation. And guess what? Not one of them was fixed by simply taxing the rich more.

Edit: By the way, there are lots of prominent GOP members that are saying they're okay with increases so long as they're met with equal cuts. That list includes:

John Boehner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2237145.html

Lindsey Graham:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...-debt-ceiling/

Saxby Chambless:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...tside-beltway/

And there are more. The GOP is experiencing massive infighting over this, so there's a significant number of people that are willing to cave on Obama's tax hikes for the wealthy. However, outside of Erskine Bowles and (of all people) Howard Dean, I see very few on the Democratic side who are willing to address entitlement reform.

You guys know me. I'm a pretty true Democrat. But I have to call things like I see it, and right now, it's the Dems who (by a small margin) are the problem.

You're saying taxing the rich more than everyone else WON'T solve everything? Go figure... (and for the record, I'm in the middle class, maybe upper middle class range).

[shrewsbury]

and what does the dems list allow the republicans?

[pghin08]

and what does the dems list allow the republicans?

Right now the Democrats thoughts are "We won the election. Therefore we demand absolutely everything that we want and none of what the GOP wants."

The Democrats did NOT win the 2012 election. The GOP lost it. They lost it with their largely unpopular social viewpoints, and the fact that they took their candidate far off to the right. But I don't think Dems see it that way. I couldn't believe my ears when I was listening to the radio on the way into work and I heard Howard Dean (yes, former DNC chair who ruined his '04 campaign because he said "BYYYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!") saying the Dems would be best to address entitlement reform and that we all needed to take our medicine while we still can.

[JustAlex]

and right now, it's the Dems who (by a small margin) are the problem.

I couldn't disagree anymore....

Let's be LOGICAL about this.

Obama WON and he won by a good margin, he ran a campaign that PROMISED to keep the Bush tax cuts for everyone EXCEPT the top 2% of Americans.

This isn't even a REAL Tax hike....

The Democrats put their proposal.....fine, there's nothing the GOP like.....if they were RATIONAL people then they would say....OK, we'll let the top 2% Tax Cuts expire but you have to do this and that.

See....THAT would be compromising!

But that's NOT what we see....the GOP are up to their old tricks again!

And if they're going to be playing the same old game.....then the Dems and Obama should NOT compromise and let the tax cuts EXPIRE for EVERYONE!

Wanna bet on who gets the blame?

It will be the GOP!

[AUTaxMan]

I couldn't disagree anymore....

Let's be LOGICAL about this.

Obama WON and he won by a good margin, he ran a campaign that PROMISED to keep the Bush tax cuts for everyone EXCEPT the top 2% of Americans.

This isn't even a REAL Tax hike....

The Democrats put their proposal.....fine, there's nothing the GOP like.....if they were RATIONAL people then they would say....OK, we'll let the top 2% Tax Cuts expire but you have to do this and that.

See....THAT would be compromising!

But that's NOT what we see....the GOP are up to their old tricks again!

And if they're going to be playing the same old game.....then the Dems and Obama should NOT compromise and let the tax cuts EXPIRE for EVERYONE!

Wanna bet on who gets the blame?

It will be the GOP!

I don't think you understand what compromise means. Both sides give some to get some in a compromise.

[JustAlex]

I don't think you understand what compromise means. Both sides give some to get some in a compromise.

Yeah, I know.

Tell me what the GOP is giving up?

NOTHING!

They don't want the rich to pay more, they don't want to cut spending on the military and they only want to cut entitlements.

Whether they like it or not, the rich have to pay more taxes and then we can compromise on entitlement spending and military spending.