G.O.P. Anger Over Tax Deal Endangers Final Passage

[Cali_Democrat]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — House Republicans reacted with anger Tuesday afternoon to a Senate-passed plan to head off automatic tax increases and spending cuts, putting the fate of the legislation in doubt just hours after it appeared Congress was nearing a resolution of the fiscal crisis.

Lawmakers said that Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 Republican, indicated to his colleagues in a closed-door meeting in the basement of the Capitol that he could not support the legislation in its current form. Many other Republicans were voicing stiff objections to a plan that they saw as raising taxes while doing little to rein in spending. Several conservatives assailed it on the House floor as the chamber convened at noon for an unusual New Year’s Day session.

The aides said that Speaker John A. Boehner, who had pledged to put any measure the Senate passed on the House floor for a vote, was mainly listening to the complaints of his rank and file and had not taken a firm position on the legislation, though he had clear reservations.

The situation loomed as a significant test for Mr. Boehner, who had been unable to pass his own proposal to increase taxes only on $1 million in income and above. He has said repeatedly that he would allow a vote on the Senate bill, but he has also said he did not want to pass a bill with predominantly Democratic votes. Public opposition from Mr. Cantor, who has up to this point sided with Mr. Boehner in the fiscal fight, would also complicate his position.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/politics/house-takes-on-fiscal-cliff.html?_r=0

[hobbit709]

1. They had their meeting in the right place-the basement

If they keep this up their approval rating will hit negative numbers.

[Flashmann]

6. If they keep this up their approval rating will hit negative numbers

I can see an upshot,stemming from the thugs constant stream of pure bullshit shenanigans,at least locally...I'm hearing more people,all the time,wondering aloud,how is this shit not treasonous??...So some constructive dialogs are beginning to take place.......An awakening??.....I dunno.....Maybe....It's becoming very obvious,to people I know that really don't pay much attention,that the thugs are not doing themselves any favors......Keep giving them the rope,I guess......Eventually,they should have enough to hang themselves with some finality.....

[A Simple Game]

29. I wonder if they got out of their coffins or just sat up? n/t

[Panasonic]

36. The Congresspeople should be recallable - ALL of them.

Republicans should be extremely endangered, and efforts should be made to either 1) Quit the party and caucus on the Democratic side, or 2) Form a splinter group and caucus for NOBODY. Either way, the Democrats would have the majority.

[malz]

2. Perhaps the R-nuts will inadvertently save Obama from Himself

Again.

[plethoro]

5. Most excellent statement, malz.........nft

dddddddd

[Sekhmets Daughter]

27. Perhaps Obama is counting on it.

[Kennah]

42. Please proceed, Mr. Cantor.

[customerserviceguy]

45. He senses the time is right to not back Boner

A new Congress is about to be seated shortly, and if he can portray the current Weeper of the House as a sell-out to the President and the Democratic Party, then he can move quickly to take over the Speakership.

This is all about what's good for Eric Cantor, and not what's good for his country or even his party.

[Cha]

31. Then the Rassholes will have to save Bernie Sanders, too, and

Joe Biden who brokered this Deal in the Senate with mitch.

Too bad that messes with your hatin' on the President, A-Gain.

[cheapdate]

34. Sellouts.

I'm willing to cause a recession and default on my mortgage just to teach them a lesson. Who's with me!?!

[Cha]

35. Rofl

[NCarolinawoman]

3. And they're off!

These loons are so predictable.

[northoftheborder]

4. So......

If the House Repubs. either vote down the Senate bill, or, refuse to bring it to the floor, or, make amendments to the bill, which the Senate then refuses to bring to floor: do we just go back to "going over the cliff," with all the Bush tax cuts expiring????


(edited for clarity)

[obama2terms]

7. If that's the case, I'm sure that will be the first thing up for a vote in the next congress

[QED]

22. Before another abortion or repeal Obamacare bill?

Looking at their record, that's the only thing one can conclude that they're interested in doing.

(sort of)

[plethoro]

8. Yes. Even if for a short time, after which

creative caving may begin. Or, in my wildest hope the Democrats tell the Republicans to get screwed and hold tight while the Democrats turn them into Whigs.

[caledesi]

18. Well said! nt

[jeff47]

12. If they don't pass it, there isn't enough time to pass a new bill before the next Congress

The next Congress starts at noon on Thursday. If the House doesn't approve the Senate bill, there really isn't time to amend the bill and send it back to the Senate.

So the old bill goes away, and the whole negotiation starts over again.

[magical thyme]

26. Well, the last time I saw negotiation start again

President Obama moved further away from his giveaways. And the time before that, and the time before that too.

IOW, if they don't pass this, they'll hate the next proposal even more. I wonder if they've figured that out yet?

[red dog 1]

9. "Boehner said he did not want to pass a bill with predominately Democratic votes"?

What the hell does that mean?

If the bill passes the House "with predominately Democratic votes", will he cry again?

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. It means he doesn't want to lose his post as Speaker

If he gets a bill through with more Democrats supporting it than Republicans, the Repubs will turn on him, and say he doesn't lead them.

[red dog 1]

19. Good Point!

and if the Repubs turn on him, and say he doesn't lead them, that means Cantor will likely become Speaker.

[surrealAmerican]

28. That does rather stand out, doesn't it.

It means he will only work to pass something if most of the Democrats are against it.

[jimlup]

10. This would be the very best case senario for us

Seriously, let's hope they shoot themselves in the foot here.

IDIOTS!

[bloomington-lib]

11. i hope so

[mindwalker_i]

13. Eric Cantor, the #2 Republican

Yeah, I can agree with that.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Oh, well spotted!

What with this and the talk of "not negotiating with skid marks", the accidental metaphors have been fruitful recently.

[FarCenter]

14. The house will ammend the bill so it will pass the Senate by a thinner margin

They don't need a bill that passes the Senate by 89 to 8.

They will send back something calculated to pass by 59 to 38, and dare Reid to bring it to a vote.

[James48]

17. Bacus: No deal

House Rep Spencer Bacus (R-confederate state of Alabama) just said .....no deal.

We go over the cliff.

Details:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/01/01/1382321/house-republican-says-gop-will-send-fiscal-bill-back-to-senate/

[onestepforward]

20. From Rep. James Clyburn (D- S.C.)

http://huff.to/ZSumY3

-snip-
If the GOP then tries to pass an amended bill, "they will have to do it with their own votes," said Rep. James Clyburn, (D- S.C.), a member of the leadership. Either scenario would kill the deal.

If the GOP doesn't offer an up or down vote on the Senate deal, well, that would kill the deal, too.

And then what? "Well, I say that then we wait for the new Congress to come in on Thursday. We'll have better numbers, more members on our side," said Clyburn. "Then we offer a new bill that they will like even less. They didn't like the 450 (thousand dollar in household income) floor on the tax increase? Let's see how much they like it when we push it back down to 250 (thousand)!"

[Ligyron]

23. I like Clyburn's idea, always have.

Surely we can get a better deal than this

[Liberalynn]

24. I like this guy's attitude!

[SaveAmerica]

40. That was tasty!!

[shireen]

21. if Cantor et. al do not vote for it,

they're going to be thrown off another kind of cliff.

[John2]

25. I know this

is not funny guys but I can't help from laughing. They are just as crazy as some of their supporters. Who ever elected them to office has got to be crazy. They are just proving people like me right about them. The whole problem with the U.S. problems has been the Republican house. We didn't have these problems until these idiots was elected to office.

[Cha]

30. Of course they did.. Tweet from Greg Sargent..

Greg Sargent

@ThePlumLineGS If House Rs killing WH-McConnell deal isn't enough to persuade media figures to drop false equivalence BS, nothing will

[Third Doctor]

32. I think it's more like this.

[AAO]

33. Take your medicine, vile republicans. n/t

[denbot]

37. Cantor just drew his dagger, the Oompa-loompa' s going down.

Who wants to bet against Cantor making his move for the gavel?

[Liberalynn]

39. Who is going to mop up all those orange tears from the House Floor?

[Volaris]

47. It's a pretty ballsy move,

considering that if he miscalculates by even a little, (is it 17 votes?) the Letterhead will say "Speaker PELOSI" on it again..
that being said, I'm not putting money on the table for this one.

[jwirr]

38. Those guys remind me of a child throwing a tantrum. Laying on the floor screaming if I do not get

my way I will not play anymore.

[rickyhall]

41. What I don't understand

If Boener et all wants cuts, give them cuts... cut corporate welfare, cut the war, cut most of the million dollar generals & admirals, cut the polititions wages, cut military contractors. There's all kinds of cuts that won't hurt the middle class or the poor. I say give them cuts.

[Kablooie]

43. Just vote on the damn thing. If you don't like it, vote no. Geez.

[Odin2005]

44. LMAO, the Baggers are killing their own party.

[NeoConsSuck]

46. Wall Street thinks the Pukes are just throwing a hissy fit..

Dow futures are up 250 points at 6 PM.

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/stocks/futures/

Of course, if the House votes against or amends the agreement, then all bets are off.

[AlphaCentauri]

48. This is how you can please those who oppose the deal

let the tax cuts and cuts on spending work only in their districts and see how that works out.