Boehner takes the President's advice, tries to lead: "Tells GOP Caucus He Wants Deal in 24 Hours"

[ProSense]

Yesterday President Obama said: If You Want to be a Leader, Then You Got to Lead

Today: Boehner Tells GOP Caucus He Wants Deal in 24 Hours

House Speaker John Boehner wants a package to raise the debt ceiling by 2 p.m. Sunday, which would coincide with the opening of Asian markets, he told Republican members on a conference call Saturday.

Boehner is seeking $3 trillion to $5 trillion in cuts, according to GOP sources, and wants to avoid pursuing the so-called McConnell Plan that would give President Obama the authority to raise the debt ceiling without Congress.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Who cares what he wants? Certainly no one with any brains.

This guy sees his political future eroding fast.

[ProSense]

6. Boehner is trying to fake leadership, but the reality is that

his caucus abandoned him.

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. Through his gin-filled bleary eyes, he thinks he's surrounded by friends.

But alas, he is very much standing alone these days.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[AlinPA]

16. He is faking it with that request to the caucus. It's a joke. He does not want

the debt ceiling raised because he will lose his seat and job as speaker.

[vroomvroom]

2. So $3 Trillion in Spending Cuts + SS/Medicare Cuts and No Revenue == Debt Limit Increase OR...

Obama just raises it and that is that? Hmmm...let me think! Sadly, my guess is Obama is leaning towards the former than the latter :(

Here is hoping the GOP Caucus continue to be greedy and dont take this incredibly sweet giveaway and force Obama to do the right thing. So oddly enough the GOP will indirectly save middle-class because they got so overconfident that they didnt know when to stop asking for more.

[Zen Democrat]

4. I have long disagreed with Democratic dogma that Social Security must not be means tested.

There are so many super-wealthy Americans in modern times that I believe it makes sense to means test. Above a TBD level of income citizens would get back exactly what they put in, and no more. Nobody loses, but the wealthy don't gain, from a government program.

Everyone should love it, ..... shouldn't they?

[karynnj]

13. I wonder if that might not already be the case - and if isn't, whether raising the cap can make it

so. The wealthiest people would put in the maximum amount every year they worked - as long as they were actually making top dollars in those years. The question is whether the expected value of what they get in SS is as high as the amount put in. Clearly there has to be some value for the cap that would make this true. (Medicare appears to already have no cap - http://www.jonescpa.com/fica_tax_rates.htm and http://www.alllaw.com/articles/tax/article5.asp So,) if someone made $1 million a year for the last 10 years of his/her career - just for those years, he/she would have (between employer and employee contributions put in - $290,000. Consider their entire career was more likely 3 or 4 times as long and there would have been contributions for those addition 20 or 30 years. Now consider that if life expectancy is about 75, you are paying for medical insurance for on average 10 years. It is very likely most of these future people will put more in than they take out.

Not to mention, I am sure that you can play games to insure that amount of income is below the threshold. Most income will be taking money from their 401Ks, IRAs etc - that are then taxed as regular income. I am sure someone will optimize the timing of taking the money out, balancing the taxes and the impact on SS and Medicare. (ie take more out in the early years, where SS and Medicare are still the return of your contributions, and save portions of it in regular accounts. Then, when you hit the point that you have no further money you put in, take less from the IRA/401K etc, supplementing with the money taken out earlier, to remain below the income threshold. (Another strategy is to time later sales of stock, outside special accounts, to use loses to cancel gains in years where you are over the limit.)

[creeksneakers2]

12. Boehner said he had already agreed to $800 billion in

revenue increases, so I doubt Senate Democrats will give him less.

[Pirate Smile]

3. An all cuts deal is the solution? Asian markets start tanking at 5:00 pm ET.

[BeyondGeography]

5. McConnell here we come

$5 trilion in cuts, GTFO.

[DCBob]

7. yep. no time to work through anything else. Boener and Rethugs have themselves in a corner.

no deal, no time, angry fat cat investors breathng down their necks.. even Grover is throwing in the towel now. I think the GOPers are going to punt.

[Divine Discontent]

8. 3 trillion, 5 trillion. WTH, just seek to remove the cancers that are these social safety nets

the billionaires must be protected. :sarcasm:


To think this SHIT is on the verge of going down under a supposed "Democratic" president is the most disturbing turn of events since it seemed like Kerry was hours away from being President-Elect and new election results popped in with B*sh's rotted head peeking up to say, "nah ah ah! I'm back!"

Just refuse to give in to their demands that SS and the entitlement programs be tied to the debt ceiling debate!
He should have been demanding from the start that the debt ceiling debate is a singular situation, and they can answer to the people for not raising it, but, we can work on raising revenue like we need to and cutting expenses elsewhere other than from the most needy in society.

If they don't like that, they can take it to the voters next year, but that they cannot play around with the debt ceiling raise.

Our President cannot allow the Republicons to start their lustful dismantling of the New Deal under the administration of a Democratic president.

[Gman]

9. Blink, blink, blink... gulp

[BattyDem]

11. There is a very simply way out of this for everyone ...

just raise the damn debt ceiling like you've always done and stop trying to use it to further a political agenda!!

That's it. That's all they have to do. No cuts. No tax increases. No one gives anything - no one gets anything. Everybody wins, nobody loses ... and the entire country doesn't go into an economic tailspin.


Why the f**k doesn't anyone make THAT common sense demand?!?

[flamingdem]

14. Oh how the bottle called Boehner today.. nt

[AlinPA]

15. "..John Boehner wants a package to raise the debt ceiling.." ?? That's a joke.

The teabagger lead republican House said over and over that they will not vote for a debt ceiling increase in any circumstance. He is just stalling for time and wants that default to occur so that he can be a hero to teabaggers and be re-elected at home and as speaker.

[Inuca]

17. Actually no, I don't think he wants

teh default to occur, though at this point he probably does not know himself what he wants any longer... But both him and McConnell, horrible as they are (especially McConnell) are not teabaggers. But Boehner is just not very good at his job (McConnell unfortunately is, though he defines his job in a way quite different form his oath of office).

[AlinPA]

18. My prediction: At 2:15 PM sunday, Boehner walks out and makes his usual teabagger influenced

speech to the cameras. (He is finished politically if the debt limit is increased even if Obama does it on his own). On Monday, the republicans will quit their "negotiations" and go full time into blaming the President for the default. It's all we will hear from them and the media until the election. Default works for them.

[madamesilverspurs]

19. One wonders

if McConnell owns the marker that Cantor is using to draw a target on Boehner's back...


-

[whosinpower]

20. This HAS to be hard for him

Understand that the GOP desperately want to pin the failing economy onto Obama.

They are the party of no.

IF they come up with a plan - and that is a very big if - THEY WILL OWN IT. They have said that they will no longer negotiate with Obama - SO THIS IS THEIR PLAN.

Now the real question is this....can they actually come up with a decent plan FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE NATION..... or will they fall into idealogical fantasy of a shit sandwich to force onto Obama.

I don't think they can. They put party over nation. Every single fucking time.

So, this has to be hard for Boehner. It is so easy to just say no. It is far far far far more difficult to come up with policy - and if that policy is a shit sandwich that cuts benefits - THEY WILL BE DECIMATED IN 2012. Even the teaparty is seeing a drastic reduction in support.

They do not want to own their own actions - never did before - won't now. Deep drastic cuts WILL HARM THE ECONOMY. There is no question about that. And it will be owned by the GOP.

Why do you think they keep harping on Obama to put his plan into writing? He WILL NOT DO IT WITHOUT THEIR NAMES INCLUDED....PERIOD. And that is what vexes them the most.

[LetTimmySmoke]

21. Cantor must be licking his chops.

Will he pass up a golden opportunity for a power coup?