2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Republicans Are Blowing Up Negotiations Because Boehner Is Weak & Republicans Are Crazy [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)You write, "My read is that President Obama does seriously want to address the deficit...." If by "address" you mean "reduce" then you're actually criticizing Obama. Any plan that reduces the 2013 deficit will retard the recovery; if it reduces the deficit enough, it will trigger a new recession.
BTW, this includes plans that raise taxes on the rich. There is a trickle-down effect, in that lower taxes for the rich do help spark economic activity. It's just not a very efficient way to do it (even aside from fairness). Adding a dollar to the federal deficit through tax breaks for the rich has much less stimulative effect than other methods, such as extending unemployment benefits. Therefore, going over the cliff is better for the economy than what the Republicans want. Still, in this context, "better" means "does less harm."