House GOP has manuevered itself into a dead end
“You’ve always been crazy, this is just the first chance you’ve had to express yourself.”
– Louise to Thelma
——————————-
Even the folks on the Wall Street Journal editorial board understand that the House GOP is acting suicidal, noting that the squabble with Senate Republicans has turned into a “circular firing squad” and that “the political rout will only get worse” unless they concede the standoff with President Obama.
“At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly. Then go home and return in January with a united House-Senate strategy that forces Democrats to make specific policy choices that highlight the differences between the parties on spending, taxes and regulation. Wisconsin freshman Senator Ron Johnson has been floating a useful agenda for such a strategy. The alternative is more chaotic retreat and the return of all-Democratic rule.”
But Thelma and Louise, also known as John Boehner and Eric Cantor, show no signs of altering course, as the New York Times reports:
“Mr. Boehner of Ohio, the first-year speaker who has struggled throughout 2011 to corral his members, said House Republicans would not relent and accept a two-month extension of the tax cut that was approved by the Senate on Saturday as a way to buy time for a more permanent solution. He instead named members to a committee to negotiate a new agreement with the Senate, which adjourned Saturday….
Mr. Boehner called Mr. Obama to summon the Senate back to Washington to bargain with House Republicans despite the approach of the holidays. “I just think the American people expect us to do our work,” Mr. Boehner said.
But he was rebuffed by Mr. Obama, and by House and Senate Democrats, who said they would appoint no counterparts to Mr. Boehner’s newly named negotiators. And more Republican senators who voted for the Senate bill urged Mr. Boehner to get his lawmakers to do the same, saying the ugly fight was damaging both Republicans and the already badly battered Congress.
“It is harming the Republican Party,” Senator John McCain of Arizona said in an interview on CNN. “It is harming the view, if it’s possible anymore, of the American people about Congress. And we’ve got to get this thing resolved and with the realization that the payroll tax cut must remain in effect.”
Obama and the Democrats must think it’s Christmas or something.
– Jay Bookman
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1,134 comments Add your comment
MiltonMan
December 22nd, 2011
9:08 am
Libs complain about not receiving a two-month tax extension are the same ones who complained Bush’s tax cuts for the “rich” – a tax cut that Obozo extended.
Man the liberal logic is one great unexplained medical mystery.
MiltonMan
December 22nd, 2011
9:13 am
Gotta love Obama – the defender of the middle class & him saving them $40/week.
In the afternoon, the President will continue to urge House Republicans to do what’s right for the American people by allowing a vote on the short term bipartisan compromise passed by almost the entire Senate. If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year will have about $40 less to spend or save with each paycheck.
Adam
December 22nd, 2011
9:39 am
160 million people spending $10 per week (adjusting for the average income of the bottom 50%, which is $25k) means $1.6 billion in economic dollars Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a family at or below 106k would not spend almost every penny. That $10 per week will not be saved, it will be spent.
MiltonMan
December 22nd, 2011
9:46 am
Good to see the democrat moonbat Carter sending his condolences to the North Korean people on their tragic loss.
Odis
December 22nd, 2011
10:23 am
@Paul so are you suggesting that its not in anyone interest to have a alert and rested pilots fly commercial airplanes or that there may have been a legitimate reason and cause for alarm over the then status quo? And I find your assertion that all employers treat their employees fairly and justly. Your post is disingenuous and naive/blind at best and dangerous and stupid at its worse.
Gator Joe
December 22nd, 2011
10:26 am
Jay:
This issue within the Republicans in the House, is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog, except in this case the area that is wagging the dog is found just below the tail.
zeke
December 22nd, 2011
10:40 am
maybe santa will bring the republicans some decency and common sense for christmas…..the party of 1% feigning concern for middle america is humorous…nice that we have 70 degree weather for holidays and these guys try to let coal industry still polute as much as it wants….maybe they will be visited by ghosts as scooge was and they turn a new leaf
gm
December 22nd, 2011
10:48 am
What funny you have a lot of rep collecting unemployment checks and on f/s visit some of the rural areas of georgia, these same hypocrites are out there bashing Obama for trying to protect the middle class.
MiltonMan:
$40 bucks may mean nothing to selfish idiots like you but how about a family of 6 where the parents can not find work, you people are no doubt satan in rep clothing, I wonder do Mitt, Newt care about the rural areas of people living in trailers in Ga?
Republicans act like the house is on fire while holding a can of gasoline
December 22nd, 2011
11:20 am
@MiltonMan December 22nd, 2011 9:08 am – Libs complain about not receiving a two-month tax extension are the same ones who complained Bush’s tax cuts for the “rich” – a tax cut that Obozo extended. Man the liberal logic is one great unexplained medical mystery.
***********************************************************************************
MAN, the ANGRY WHITE MEN REPUBLICANS are NOT a MEDICAL MYSTERY TO ANYONE!
They want to sink the ship to DESTROY THE CAPTAIN.
I HOPE they have a LIFE JACKET! They will need it
Republicans act like the house is on fire while holding a can of gasoline
December 22nd, 2011
11:24 am
@MiltonMan December 22nd, 2011 9:08 am – a tax cut that Obozo extended.
***********************************************************
Looks like OBOZO OUTSMARTED THE ANGRY WHITE MEN REPUBLICANS.
That Harvard diploma PAID OFF for “OBOZO”!
Thelma > Louise
December 22nd, 2011
11:26 am
Thelma was hotter.
Republicans act like the house is on fire while holding a can of gasoline
December 22nd, 2011
11:29 am
@MiltonMan December 22nd, 2011 9:08 am
******************************************************************
ANGRY WHITE MEN REPUBLICANS do not know when the hold them, when to fold them or when to WALK AWAY.
ANGRY WHITE MEN REPUBLICANS need to know that when you ride a horse and it DIES….get off.
ANGRY WHITE MEN REPUBLICANS need to know that you can’t put the sh*t back into the horse.
dixiedemons
December 22nd, 2011
11:34 am
GOP is a great party if you have no morals and a mis-guided value system. They behave like the politicians that passed “Jim Crow” laws back in the “good ol days”. They knew what they were doing was wrong but used procedural votes and gimmicks to validate their behavior. When the working class finally has had enough and goes on the offensive , I really hope we can do it in a peaceful way.
zeke
December 22nd, 2011
11:39 am
10-4 Kramer!!
gm
December 22nd, 2011
11:46 am
The old men rep party of the past, did not want to vote against Jim Crowe or some of the other bills, but they came togather for the good of the country, these group of sickos rather destroy every American in their path to make the President of the United States look bad.
We need not to worried about attacks from other countries, we have our own home grown anti Americans middle class destroyers here and they are call the rep party(tea party) , what a piece of garbage these people are””’
GT
December 22nd, 2011
12:03 pm
Gathered around the microphone last night some of these immature congressman were finding lots of humor in this, laughing. Is this funny? The same sort of guy called the president a liar in the audience of the State of the Union address. There is such a huge disconnect with these young guys from the Republican Tea Party and real America. How do you stay in such a bubble in this day and time as to not feel the stupidity you are causing and to be laughing at it. We may see the first landslide of a incumbent president in decades and it is caused by this bush league stuff.
MiltonMan
December 22nd, 2011
1:32 pm
gm:
I’m an idiot??? I served in the military and went to school & now I am living the American Dream.
Pal, you need to look in the mirror.
MiltonMan
December 22nd, 2011
1:35 pm
GT – you guys prediciting a landslide yet again??? How did the landslide in 2010 go for you?
Can’t wait to see what losers you guys will nominate within the state of Georgia again. How about Denise Majette? I heard she is available. How about Zell Miller. Oops; scratch Zell off the list. Jimmy Carter & his love affiar with the North Koreans might be your best hope.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
December 22nd, 2011
1:46 pm
So Republicans want to extend the payroll tax rate for another year, Democrats want 2 months, yet people out there blame Republicans for not getting a deal done? A 2 month plan is the dumbest thing I’ve heard of. And media outlets like this lie to Americans and say Republicans don’t want to extend the payroll tax rate which will hurt middle class America. Hey middle class, the Republicans want to extend the tax for a full year, wake up.
gm
December 22nd, 2011
2:43 pm
MiltonMan
Ask the millions of troops who are home from Irag how they feel about our President, ask the millions of homeless vets, out of work vets the many bills Obama has passed to help our vets.
All of us vets dont have that I got mine the hell with every one else mentality””’
gm
December 22nd, 2011
2:47 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE
Obama was the first to ask that this extension be for 1 year but the retards on the right rejected it at first to hurt the President also 39 rep Sen voted for the 2 mos extension, the public see that these people will do anything to destroy the middle class to hurt the President of the United States.
Some Americans ;”””’
Don Abernethy
December 22nd, 2011
2:52 pm
The Republican Senators who voted for the two month extension should be voted out of office.
Adam
December 22nd, 2011
2:53 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE: So Republicans want to extend the payroll tax rate for another year, Democrats want 2 months, yet people out there blame Republicans for not getting a deal done?
The Democrats in the Senate have agreed to come back and vote on a bill that extends the time frame from 2 months to 1 year if that’s all they want to change.
The House GOP has not accepted this offer by bringing up the existing bill and changing it to 1 year.
Odis
December 22nd, 2011
4:44 pm
@DonAbernethy ALL the REPUBLICANS should be voted out of office in 2012. That’s the only way to move this country forward.
Mama Says
December 22nd, 2011
5:30 pm
Ok let me get this correct. The republicans are wrong for trying to extend the payroll tax cut for one year rather the two months.
At what point did liberals decide, along with your media followers, that your positions are the correct ones ? The republican house has sent 24 bills to the liberal senate and all have sat there with no action at all. Where are the voices of concern ? Where are the labels calling the dems the party of no ?
Answer, there are none. The day that the liberal agenda was declared the standard by which the media decided everything would be compared was the day we lost our country. Double standard hypocrites. The dems are the party of bankruptcy, handouts, dope smokers and free will all at the behest of the responsible working taxpayer. You even exploit your own union members by requiring them to give you money-in order to work, then you hand it to someone else. Well the little that the union bosses haven’t spent at the lavish resorts.
Mama Says
December 22nd, 2011
5:44 pm
you are flat out wrong. The dems in the senate refused to come back and insisted that the two month extension be passed as is .
Dems_R_Idiots
December 22nd, 2011
5:56 pm
Are all the left-wing nut jobs going come back to this board & now apologize???
How about the uber-liberal bookman offering an apology???
Like always, the libs run away like cock roaches when the light is turned on.
Thulsa Doom
December 22nd, 2011
6:03 pm
Taxpayer,
I’ll match that with a leftist wingnut biting off a protester’s finger. I guess ya’ll ran out of red meat for your supporters and turned cannibal.
http://www.toacorn.com/news/2009-09-10/Front_Page/Local_man_loses_a_finger_at_protest_over_healthcar.html
Odis
December 22nd, 2011
6:06 pm
The problem that the republicTARDS either don’t get or are too ignorant to understand is that the republicans weren’t offering a straight 12 month extension, there were all these bogus add ons attached to the bill that they knew that the democrats would never accept. Duh. Pay attention.
A Completely Unofficial Blog About Eric Cantor » House Republicans getting creamed in the payroll tax cut PR war
December 22nd, 2011
6:26 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution: House GOP has manuevered itself into a dead-end [...]
Monty Python
December 22nd, 2011
9:42 pm
Well, what say all of you now that Boehner has caved and the two month extension will be passed by the house. Who are the idiots now? Well played by the speaker, following in the grand tradition of talker of the house Newt G. Well done.
Good for small businesses and their employees
December 23rd, 2011
8:22 am
“the negotiated deal tweaked language in the Senate bill to lessen the tax reporting burden on small businesses”.
Dekalb comments
December 23rd, 2011
1:27 pm
Re Good for small businesses….@ 08:22
I am all for providing relief, both short-term and long-term for businesses that are truly “small”. But remember that in the minds of the GOP, a small business is not classified based on the number of employees, the average business turnover, etc. It is based solely on the number of owners. So both a mom and pop ice cream parlor and the Koch brothers are small by their definition and both need to be saved. To me there is a vast difference between a small business based on its size, business turnover, number of employees and a distinction based on the number of owners.
Adam
December 23rd, 2011
7:22 pm
Mama Says: Yes, they DID offer to come back and vote on extending it to 12 months if that was all they wanted to change about the Senate bill. Too bad Beohner caved, eh?
Get real. They didn’t JUST want a 12 month extensions, they wanted a bunch of other crap. And they got a lot of what they wanted in the Senate bill anyway which is why it PASSED with 89 votes out of 100. That NEVER happens. So cut your losses and stop whining.