Boehner: "No progress" on "fiscal cliff" talks

Updated: 1:00 p.m. ET

Despite continued negotiations between the White House and House Speaker John Boehner for a deal to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," Boehner says "no progress" has yet been made in hammering out a compromise.

In a brief press conference with reporters today, Boehner accused the White House of having "wasted" another week by negotiating from a "my way or the highway" standpoint.

With 25 days to reach a deal to avert the "cliff" -- a series of tax hikes and spending cuts set to start kicking in early next year, potentially triggering another recession - neither side has yet agreed to budge on the key sticking point: Whether or not the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for the top two percent of Americans.

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Boehner: "No progress to report" on "fiscal cliff"

The president insists he will not sign off on a proposal that does not increase tax rates for households earning $250,000 or more per year, while Republicans have repeatedly reiterated their refusal to raise tax rates in any way. Both parties have offered up plans reflective of these ideologies, and both were quick to reject the other side's proposal. The Obama administration said it would not respond to the GOP plan with a counter-offer, because it did not view it as serious enough to warrant one.

In his remarks today, Boehner called on President Obama to reverse that decision.

"Four days ago, we offered a serious proposal based on testimony of President Clinton's former chief of staff. Since then, there's been no counter-offer from the White House. Instead, reports indicate that the president has adopted a deliberate strategy to slow walk our economy right to the edge of the fiscal cliff," Boehner told reporters. "I came out the day after the election to put revenues on the table, to take a step toward the president to try to resolve this. When is he going to take a step towards us?"

The White House is in the midst of a public relations campaign aimed at pressuring Republicans into extending the middle class tax cuts before broaching the rest of the so-called "fiscal cliff." The real work, however, continues behind the scenes between the Democratic president and the speaker of the Republican-led House.

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[nfission235]

Give up the power struggle Repubs and stop holding Dems' toes to the fire. We won and we want you to concede. We want the rich @ssh*les to pay more taxes and we don't want cuts in earned benefits nor cuts to veterans earned benefits. You dirty sleaze bags are not honoring what most Americans want and we're pissed, so stop trying to haggle, we've spoken and your done.

[hillzagain]

quantum_analysis replies:
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Personally, I believe it has just become a knee-jerk reaction to any legislation today, just like the 'Bring Jobs Home Bill' that the GOP obstructionists filibustered, that caused mitch mcconnell to filibuster his own bill, and prove that the republicans have only tied themselves into knots in order to protect the wealthy!
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The Bring Jobs Home Bill and the Veterans Jobs Bill were nothing more than thinly veiled marketing ploys.

Bringing jobs home for US workers is a nice idea but a silly "tax credit" that covers a small portion of the added cost is just proof that Democrats don't understand business and they proposed a dumb bill.

If you read the Veterans Jobs bill, they wanted millions and millions of dollars to duplicate over 6 other verteran's work programs already in place that are run poorly. It was a dumb bill.

The only thing I ever see the libs on this site do is regurgitate lib blog drivel.

And look at this from this very website in an article about the Veteran's bill: "The bill had little chance of passing the House this Congress, but it still allowed senators to appeal to a key voting bloc."

Translation: Marketing Ploy. That is not being serious about solving a problem.

[whereismyQE]

QE 1 to infinity = NO JOBS

2009-2012 Extension of Bush era tax cuts = NO JOBS

Massive bank bailout = Historicly high home forclosure rate and NO JOBS

Now republicans/corporations want to force 2 million people all at once into the worst job market this country has ever seen to save 30 billion dollars over the course of 1 year while Ben Bernanke spends 40 billion per month on god knows what and calls it quantatative easing. On what planet does this make sense? What kinda crack do republicans smoke?

If the Federal Reserve can print money for wall street banks then in can print it for Americans trying to stay in and heat their homes and feed their families while they actively seek work in the worst job market and economy the country has ever seen. They should be doing more not less. The scale back conversation should be had when the unemployment rate has truly gone down to at least 4%. Starving and destroying the middle class is not the answer

[tvwatcher5345]

the republicans are behind the eight ball with no good options the possible results;
-a deal gets done taxes go up on the top 2% and the republicans that voted for it are primaried and it splits the republicans (which is happening anyway)
-we go off the cliff and the republicans are blamed and they are toast
-regardess, taxes are going up on the top 2% and the economy will continue to recover and the republican idea of killing jobs by raising taxes on the "job creators" goes out the window

God has given obama one of the best Christmas presents ever, Merry Christmas Mr President!

[WhereisOT]

For the protectionists of the rich....Its all about "jobs" a million times over...more & more jobs, thats what America needs, more jobs than workers....
BUT a little "higher taxes" will destroy jobs, kill jobs, job destroying, job killing, forever no more jobs, end of American jobs, cannibals taking over in the streets, poverty, hunger, riots, end of times fear mongering lies based on the same no brain protect the "rich" pile a bullsh*t they have been peddling for years..

Must be a brand new, old thing for the party of nothings to all of a sudden care about jobs now, they sure as hell didn't care about em for the past 4 years...Or for many decades..
(The Bring Jobs Home Act) "would provide a 20% tax break for the costs of moving jobs back to the United States and would rescind business expense deductions available to companies that are associated with the cost of moving operations overseas"

No said the losing party of obstructionists for the rich as the tax dodging job destroying liar romoney (give him & herd the White House) flat out denied FACTS a how he and his American job killers have "breaks" to take American jobs overseas...

Will the masses take anything these mouthpieces for the rich say "seriously" ever again...
Specially After a "shell shocked" d**k filibustered his own fricken bill...lol
Not so much...

[joesapper]

Well I said in the past that the Fast & Furious gun running would not go away if the ole warhorses thought there was nuts in the tree , as they would not stop shaking the tree until the nuts fell .

These warhorses of Washington are on both sides of the aisle , so as it is with the Fast & Furious so it is with the cliff and the economic condition of the nation.

The math is adding up to a European failure , and the quiet nods & hand shakes will of both sides will take the cliff as it will make a deal in the best interest of the nation and not party lines .

At the end of the day these ole Washington warhorses are Americans first and party guys second , and the Pres is going to recieve a lesson in American unity .
The cliff will force a responsible deal for America and not party lines . There will be lots of finger pointing with winks of agreement as January becomes Febuary and America is directed into fiscal responsibility for the future .
If many are viewing an America in decline , so are the Washington controllers and the Libya disaster is not forgotten . They have agreed to disagree in my view to get this wreck back on track .

[14FREEK]

let the cliff come and lets jump off it. Bonehead is a fool. Dude, obama won, whaat more do you want? If we go over the cliff there are ways to set the scales back to right. Obama can just rebate tax refund money, say $1,00 or even $2,000 per dependent. remember they have done it before they can do it again. do you think the GOP will vote against that? you are wiggy if you think so.

[stevehamilton858]

Well, that's what's going to happen anyway. The House won't get anything worthwhile done before December 21, when they all want to leave town and go home for Christmas (great sense of priorities and responsibilities). But, we won't jump off the cliff - it's more of a slide down a steep hill. And when our well rested legislators get back, maybe, just maybe they will face reality when they realize that the ultra-rich they are trying to protect are already sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in un-invested cash. Why would they think that a 2% increase in tax rates would have any effect as to whether this group would invest the abundant cash it already has?

[thunde1rstrike]

Boner, you got no leverage. Tax cut expires automatically 12/31.

[stevehamilton858]

Well said. Boner sucker punched the president two years ago. It's not going to happen again. I believe the president has learned that the only way to deal with the current bunch of right wing radicals is to get down in the gutter with them and slug it out; and this time, he has most of the voters standing with him.

[Weazerdogg]

When is this bonehead going to get it, the intelligent part of the 98% don't care if the taxes go up for 2%! JUST DO IT!!!

[GossamerWings]

If the GOP doesn't get it then they may see more turn over in the swing states 2014.

[arthanyel]

Type_Z says:
Artangle says:
Go peddle your propaganda elsewhere and get the facts. You don't agree with the President? Fine, but use real information not Faux News nonsense.

*************

Liberals love freedom of speech unless it goes against their agenda. You of all people, should know, if we lose freedom of speech, we've lost everything. Shame on you. Go peddle your propaganda elsewhere.

----- cut here -----

As usual, conservative nonsense. Freedom of speech does not give you the right to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater. It doesn't give you the right to lie so someone else gets killed for something you did. And Faux News isn't speaking freely - they are creating clearly false statements and convincing ignorant people like you that it is the truth, when there is ample evidence it isn't. Fox News - the only "news" company to have been found IN COURT to have ordered their employees to lie to support conservative agendas, and fired them when they refused and demanded their right to speak freely.

So who is suppressing free speech? Hint - they wear read ties and are mostly old angry white men.

[stevehamilton858]

Where did the issue of freedom of speech arise form with respect to the article we are supposedly commenting on?

And, parenthetically, although I am not a Fox News fan, they actually do a pretty good job of reporting when they are not dealing with political news or opinion.