The rhetoric on the right amuses me. The leaders of both houses are crying because President Obama hasn’t decided to allow the WELFARE FOR THE WEALTHY to continue dragging the United States down the rabbit hole.

They accuse President Obama of not being willing to offer “ANY FORM OF COMPROMISE”, when they were the ones who refused to even raise the debt limit without protecting their wealthy “Saints.”

It’s time for both of them to realize that the American public gave President Obama a MANDATE to end the favored treatment of the wealthy. They need to man up, and accept the fact that President Obama is not going to be a pushover this time around.

I also support the President on this, I hope he stands his ground, I will run and jump off the fiscal cliff with him and all of America.

I think Boehner wants to work with Preident Obama but the tea baggers are holding a gun to his back so he can’t.

I wish they would just come up with something they don’t ever put anything on the table. What are they doing waiting for Obama to come up with what they want?

And how dare Obama act like he won the election? : ))

Mr. Vila:

I have to take issue with one thing that you said: “The time for political posturing, pointing fingers, and meaningless rhetoric is over.”

We’re dealing with politicians here. For them, the time for political posturing, pointing fingers and meaningless rhetoric is never over. Those things define their very existence. Many of them entered politics because they failed at being lawyers. Our legislatures are filled with the dregs of the legal profession.

DV: I think you are particularly right in specifying that negotiations should involve the president, members of his cabinet, and congressional leaders meeting face to face. I think this is one time when “behind closed doors” also makes sense: as you say, then both parties can claim victory.

Further support for your idea–private meetings, joint victory– is Grover Norquist’s unhelpful proposal, on “Meet the Press” Sunday, for all negotiations to take place publicly on C-Span. He thinks once the public realizes that Republicans are caving on his pledge, he will be vindicated. He probably just wants to drag the whole thing out and collect video evidence to use in trying to defeat Republicans who go back on their pledges once they are up for re-election. The White House should give him no quarter.

Another privilege of the executive branch, besides acting on a clear mandate, is to decide when, where, and how the president’s proposals will be set forth. Like you, I think President Obama and the administration will gain more by dispatching these Fiscal Cliff negotiations quickly, decisively–and quietly. After all is said and done, there will be plenty of time for the shouting.

My strong impression is that right after the election Obama did meet with Congressional leaders on the right and then both sides. Few details were given, only they all would “play nice”.

You have a game plan for Obama to force such a meeting with Repug Congressional leaders after they laugh out loud about his proposal? ” Negotiations, by their very nature, are not a winner takes all event. They require compromise, respect for the opinions of others, and willingness to reach consensus.” Do you know something about the Norquist Pledge that I don’t?

This jerk just issue ultimatums and then goes on shopping trips or vacations. Time for barak to man up something he’s never been comfortable about doing

We Will Never Have Another 2010 Again In Life!!! Now That The We The People See That EVERY ELECTION IS IMPORTANT AND ALL VOTES COUNTS!!!!

Lets have meetings live on tv and see who really is serious about the fiscal cliff, and who isn’t

I suppose you would prefer to see George the Second, or his clones, in the White House.

You need to be more objective in your assessment of the current situation. No reasonable solution is possible without some tax increases. You can cut out the entire federal budget except, defense (which the Republicans want increase), interest on the debt, social security, medicare, and medicare and the budget will still be in the red without a tax increase. What Obama is suggesting is a tax rate on the wealthy similar to the rates that existed during the Reagan and Clinton Administrations, 39.6%. The current tax rates are the lowest since the Second World War!!! Raising these rates will not negativelt affect the economy as Bill Crystal of the Weekly Standard has said. All President Obama has asked the Republicans do, is come up with a list of suggested cuts in entitlements that will pass muster with the American people and accept a small increase in taxes for the wealthy (from a maximum rate of 35% to 39.6%). No one has suggested an increase in taxes for everyone else, not Republicans or Democrats!!!
As far as big goverment goes, the biggest increase in federal spending since 2000 has been in two unnessary and unfunded wars, a new department of Homeland Security, medicare, madicade, and defense spending. The cost of the medicare program doubled and the medicade program tripled bewteen 2000 and 2010, most of that increase occcuring during the GW Bush Administration. Obama has neither asked for or suggested increases in these two programs. These programs go back to the middle 60′s and have nothing to do with the current administration.
When one gets elected to public office, one has to take some responsibility for the decisions being made. Naturally Republicans in the house and senate will share the credit if a budget compromise is reached, and conversely share the blame if one is not reached! That’s the way the system works. If they can’t accept that, they get out of the way let someone with the fortitude do the job.

He hasn’t imeded my freedoms. The people have spoken.

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
………Eric Hoffer (1902 – 1983)

Consider yourself “frightened by your “enemy” and try to figure out why you fell for it.

Hey that’s the first semi intelligent thing I have ever heard you say, but the Republicans aren’t going to let that happen cuz then they would have to come up with an answer to the question where and what do they want to cut and they can’t. (they couldn’t even do that to win the election what makes you think they can now)?

Lana:

What kuind of funny cigarettes are you smoking? The Republicans aren’t going to engage in a knockdown fight. They’re going to just try to obstruct anything that the Democrats propose.

In 1948, Harry Truman labelled the Republican congress the “do nothing congress.” All they did was to block Truman’s initiatives. They were voted out of office by the populace and the Democrats took over.

This Republican House is also a do nothing group. It’s going to take time to get rid of them, but eventually they’ll go into oblivion.

I think that the GOP is the brooding party of petulance. They’re angery because they lost the election and now they’re going to pout. They’ll pout themselves into oblivion.

Bruce, whatever happens in Congress is public. You can see it on C-span or look up any day that Congress meets. You can see who voted for what. You could even hear Mitch McConnell saying, “The Republicans number one goal is to make Obama a one-term president.”

Let’s condense that down: The current Republicans are the ones who hate America.

They despise the electorate, they hate the Bill of Rights, and they oppose having everyone pay a fair share to support it, while constantly running up further expenses.

quasm, if cutting taxes for the so called “job creators” worked we wouldn’t have any problems, would we? The tax reductions are still in place for those “job creators” and have been since 2001.

What have you been smoking? Does Fox sell Pot and LSD along with its lies?