Boehner: We'll work with Obama to avert fiscal cliff
In his first press conference following yesterday's elections, House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday pledged his commitment to forging a bipartisan solution to the nation's economic woes, and even offered up the possibility of new revenues -- though he stressed that the GOP-led House of Representatives would not approve of tax hikes.
Boehner, who congratulated President Obama on his victory even while acknowledging that he had "hoped the presidential election would turn out differently," said Republicans are ready to work with the president in order to avoid going over the so-called "fiscal cliff," which he argued would cost the nation's economy hundreds of thousands of jobs.
"The American people this week didn't give us a mandate to do the 'simple' thing. They elected us to lead. They gave us a mandate to work together to do the best thing for our country," Boehner told reporters. "Just weeks away now looms the so-called fiscal cliff, a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax increases mandated by law. Within months of the fiscal cliff, Congress will be asked to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Around the same time, legislation will be needed to keep the government running, as the continuing resolution under which it is currently operating expires. Amid all of these short-term hurdles, we face the greatest challenge of all: a massive debt that is smothering growth, exceeding the size of our entire economy."
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The House Speaker shunned the idea of employing "short-term, temporary policies" to delay a comprehensive solution to the fiscal cliff, arguing instead that Americans elected Mr. Obama, as well as House Republicans, to "to do the best thing for our country."
"We know what the best thing would be. It would be an agreement that sends the signal to our economy, and to the world, that after years of punting on the major fiscal challenges we face, 2013 is going to be different," he said. "What we can do is avert the cliff in a manner that serves as a down payment on - and a catalyst for - major solutions, enacted in 2013, that begin to solve the problem."
Boehner laid out the deal he envisioned, and acknowledged it would not solve the country's economics "overnight" - or "in the midst of a lame duck session." Instead, he argued that "By working together and creating a fairer, simpler, cleaner tax code, we can give our country a stronger, healthier economy."
"A stronger economy means more revenue, which is what the president seeks," he said. "Because the American people expect us to find common ground, we are willing to accept some additional revenues, via tax reform."
He emphasized, however, as he has done before, that "Feeding the growth of government through higher tax rates won't help us solve the problem."
Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also pronounced his willingness to compromise with Republicans in order to stave off the consequences of going over the fiscal cliff.
"I'm not kicking the can down the road," he said.
But it's unclear where the two parties will find room for agreement after four years of bitter congressional partisanship, and it's unlikely they would be able to come up with a comprehensive tax code overhaul during the brief lame duck session.
Still, leaders of both parties emphasized their willingness to try.
"It's better to work together," said Reid.
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As long as Boner or his fellow Republicons does not have to consider any tax increases or compromise he is willing to work with the other side. Some things never change.
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Here let me educate you.
The name is BOEHNER Pronounced Bay-Ner and the parties name is RepubliCAN. Now please go back to school and get educated Dumbocrat
Boehner and McConnel could not care less about the health of the national economy. They only care about the health of their own wallets.
All President Obama has to do is nothing. F them. F them all...let'em sweat.
The fact is that the liberal and progressive community is just waking up. First we had to stop fascism from being completed. But we need to get rid of Citizens United, take back the Supreeme Court from the Koch Brothers and turn back the idea of deregulation and privatization.
We have a sick, failing nation because of the corporate takeover of the government (and media and military). Their interests are exactly the opposite of what is good for the 99%.
You can not do 11th hour games with impending defaults that create uncertainty and then complain about the business situation being bad because of uncertainty without a blindness and duality.
Republicans, get your heads out and get with it.
Every public officeholder swears an oath of office. ?Ask yourself, 'What's the point of ANY additional pledge?' ?Follow the money.
Any officeholder who genuinely believes in representative government should have already publicly denounced the Teaparty/Taliban's efforts to disenfranchise Americans.
If you stood in line to vote, write your STATE legislators an invitation to the 21st century. ?Washington state voters had their ballots weeks before election day.
The Teaparty/Taliban are still afraid of women making decisions. (John 8:3-11)
Trickle down not only doesn't spur economic growth, it stifles it. It's what led to the American and French revolutions.
"Corporations are people" = "He with the most gold rules"
They swear an oath to the people of these United States and her citizen who pay them and that should be honored first and formost!
If we do that it will show the people where and which of members of Congress are really working for the people and which are not.
And it is OK to go off the cliff it will be like steping off a small curb.