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Obama is Determined to Give Republicans What They Deserve on the Fiscal Cliff
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More reporting confirms that President Obama’s hard stance on the fiscal cliff is a reality. Obama is looking to drive his election victory home by only giving Republicans what they’ve earned on the fiscal cliff.
As Politico reported in a story titled Why Obama isn’t Caving, “But if the 2012 election increased the president’s comfort with public emotion, it also strengthened his desire to ensure that the GOP — a party that has lost the popular vote in six of the last seven presidential elections — doesn’t get a better deal than they have earned.”
Politico is the second non-liberal outlet in the last two days to report that President Obama is taking a hard line with House Republicans on the fiscal cliff. Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the president told Speaker Boehner that he would get nothing in the fiscal cliff negotiations. After Boehner’s Plan B imploded, the president spoke to the media and reduced his offer to the Republicans.
Many on the left jumped the gun and accused Obama of caving based on their own fears and media accounts that were sourced to House Republicans.
Obama is willing to compromise, but there is a difference between a compromise and a cave. In compromise, you give something to get something. A cave occurs when one side gives the other everything it wants. An example of a cave occurred almost one year ago today when House Republicans gave Obama everything he wanted by extending the payroll tax cut.
People keep comparing the fiscal cliff negotiations to 2010, when they should be looking at last year for a more appropriate comparison. Republicans were hoping they would get 2010 Obama. Instead, they got 2011 Obama times ten. The president’s reelection victory has given him an exponential increase in strength, leverage and political capital.
While Boehner and the House Republicans are mired in their standard dysfunction, President Obama is at the height of his powers. The more Republicans misbehave, the lower Obama’s offer to them goes. Notice the shift in authority, Obama is deciding what or if a deal gets done. The days of House Republicans dictating their terms to Obama look to be long gone. (Those days actually ended in 2011, but some people refuse to see it.)
Obama is going to be the one to determine if Republicans get anything at all.
Based on their current behavior House Republicans have earned nothing, which is exactly what the president is offering them.
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Rhonda
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 11:28 am
Keep it up Mr. President it’s time to take our country back from the greed of the Republican, Tea Parties. I am very proud of you and glad I helped to put you into that office twice.
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M.R.M
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 11:39 am
yup, they have earned nothing for 4 years now, and have destroyed many, “MANY” house holds, tossing them into the streets, i hope our president stands strong for the 47% / 98% now!….
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JayInDallas
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 11:42 am
Whatever equity the GOP had is long gone. The economy is improving, not worsening. As is unemployment and other KPIs. Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor and John Boehner have become caricatures of their former selves with little or no resonance to their rhetoric with the majority of Americans. It took longer than may have been expected but the hope and change necessary for America to take back the reigns to its future has finally taken root.
God Bless America.
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Anne
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 11:52 am
They have earned the deeply justified contempt many of us have for them, and they don’t deserve any more breaks or concessions. It’s crystal clear to any rational, thinking human being that they couldn’t care less about the well-being of everyday Americans. That includes those who voted for them in the vain hope that they would actually do something constructive. Their unabashed desire is to continue policies that protect the uber wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
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montag
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 12:24 pm
About the only thing Republicans have “earned” is the right to unconditional surrender to whatever President Obama dictates to them.
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Dazed and Confused
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 12:27 pm
They have earned exactly nothing yet Obama is still willing to give them something – wake up people – he will give them an in on Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, just to be seen as compromising.
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Churchlady
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Dazed and Confused – you are aptly named. This is the screaming meme of people who pay no attention at all to how democracy works. Your hype is not fact.
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LTMidnight
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 1:42 pm
If you didn’t vote for PBO, you have no say so in this debate.
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Elizabeth 44
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 5:55 pm
No, thats no longer on the table. I think the President has been bluffing to encourage the Republicans to show us what they really are. As soon as the Republicans voted on Plan B,the President indicated that the prior offer was now off the table.,
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Doc Marten
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Oh, bullshit. Obama is going to continue to play hardball with these idiots. They’ll cave just to ensure we don’t go over the cliff.
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KatzKids
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 12:36 pm
You GO Mr. President. The GOPTP deserve absolutely nothing, except maybe some coal in their stockings & the contempt of the American people.
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anita gehret
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Keep it up Mr. President! The GOP don’t run this country noplace but in the ground! Keep standing up for the rest of US… remember, its US that makes the USA!
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fredaruthproject
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 3:38 pm
How can you “earn” anything if you are never at work? And when the republicans/tp/RWN actually show up in D.C., their only mission is to take care of the wealthy and well-connected. The rest of the country be damned, including the misguided folks who voted for them!
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Joe Neri
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 6:30 pm
I think what Liberals fail to see is not that Obama ever caves into the Republicans but that he doesn’t quite want everything we want. Essentially, he’s a moderate.
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C.
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Obama is forcing their stubborn ass hand, if they want to play hard ball, fine, but there will be consequences. And you better bet that he will explain to the American people what happened. He’s done with them thwarting him, he was duly elected and has campaign promises to carry out.
They have obstructed his every move ever since he won in his first term. Now he’s won a second term and they’re going to have to face facts and either start governing for the whole country or look like jerks and fools which will hurt them in 2014. Even middle class republicans will understand the party is not in it to protect their interests, just those of the wealthy and corporations.
Bunch of wealthy self serving scrooges is what they are.
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Jeff R
Dec. 23rd, 2012 at 8:36 pm
I hope that the President will play “hard ball” this time.
On the other hand, for nearly four years we have watched him capitulate to the extremist right over and over and over again. Many times the capitulation came before the negotiations began (e.g. single payer).
So as we enter this negotiation I find that my hope is severely diluted by my tears.
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James Threadgill
Dec. 24th, 2012 at 12:58 am
I’m fed up with their constant attacks on the President then whining when we respond in kind!
http://regressivewatch.org/wordpress/an-open-letter-to-teabillies-offended-by-rw/
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Michael Fox
Dec. 24th, 2012 at 1:02 am
While I’m inspired by some of his comments, I still want to see a position that is in keeping with congressional Dems “Deal For All”. (H. Res. 733) HANDS OFF Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (including Chained nonsense); Tax the rich and corporations, especially Wall Street; Bring troops home now and redeploy funding; Jobs-Jobs-Jobs.
Truly progressive Democrats had his back in the election. Now we’re in his face.
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Michael Humphrey
Dec. 24th, 2012 at 2:56 am
This is what you call kicking ass and let me just say that President Obama is doing precisely that,kicking ass and taking names.If this continues just wait till 2014.The mid-terms couldn’t come soon enough.
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John Taylor
Dec. 25th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
I think that Obama is forcing the house GOP to go to the democrats in order to get the votes to pass anything. Reid will still hold the senate, and perhaps a pattern of governance will slowly take shape. The T party fringe will continue to obstruct, but will keep losing power as governance, not ideology, becomes even more necessary.
The GOP still doesn’t get it, and they won’t till ’14. Even then, it is questionable. The ideology says you can’t trust anyone willing to govern, and that prevents any strong leadership from emerging. They may have dug a hole a little to deep to recover. The primary process they have created for themselves almost guarantees extremist candidates for office. They aren’t done bottoming out. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch…
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William Friskhart
Dec. 28th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Since PBO does not have to worry about re-election in 2016, he can be less of a Milquetoast in his dealings with the Grotty Old Party. Moreover, with the strong mandate he received from the American People, he can be more confident as he now knows that the People are behind him. The GOP is a bully and bullies cave when confronted by someone willing to fight back.
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troy
Dec. 29th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
All I have to say is that the top 1% control more money than the bottom 95% how long can the rich ride this gravy train? We send our children to fight for this land and its statutes! The least they can do is pay their fair percentage share and bring the middle class back!
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