Will GOP unite before next fiscal fight?

Anyone who thought Republicans were too focused on spending cuts in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations should brace themselves for what's next.

Tuesday's votes on the "fiscal cliff" deal divided the GOP: More than half of House Republicans voted against it, primarily complaining about its lack of spending cuts. Yet on the Senate side, all but three Republicans supported the measure.

A couple of the Senate's most conservative Republicans say they understand why their House counterparts opposed the bill -- it's littered with special-interest giveaways, was secretly drafted in the dead of night and extends spending on programs like unemployment insurance without paying for them. At the same time, those senators say, those House Republicans may have been too concerned about their outsider, tea party reputations to accept the overwhelming upside of the bill -- making the Bush-era tax rates permanent for nearly all Americans.

"This is not meant to reduce the deficit," Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., told CBSNews.com about the "fiscal cliff" deal. "This was meant to reduce taxes. The deficit is a different issue."

The nation's spending habit, however, is exactly the issue that will be on the table in a matter of weeks from now, when Congress will have to raise the debt limit, as well as reconsider the "sequester" spending cuts that were only put on hold for two months in the "fiscal cliff" bill.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., another conservative who voted for the "fiscal cliff" deal, said voters can expect to see "a strongly united Republican party coming out of this."

• Should GOP be grumbling over "fiscal cliff" deal?
• "Fiscal cliff" averted -- now what?
• "Fiscal cliff" bill had some hidden pork

"I think what the American public is going to see is President Obama's campaign pledge," he said. "He made the rich pay their fair share -- he got that. Now it's very legitimate for Republicans to demand and see what is the other part of his 'balanced approach'... His tax increase, at most, will close 5 percent of the deficit. What's the other 95 percent? What's his plan to save Social Security? To save Medicare?"

A few weeks ago, many hoped the "fiscal cliff" negotiations would result in a balanced, comprehensive approach to the nation's fiscal issues. Everything seemed to be on the table: entitlement reform, the debt limit, strategic spending cuts with which to replace the sequester, and new tax revenue.

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Repairing the Republican party

The ultimate deal, brokered by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was much more limited. Still, some conservatives saw plenty to be pleased with.

Inhofe said he was "in shock" Congress managed to pass an extension of the farm bill, a permanent fix to the alternative minimum tax, the "doc fix" for Medicare reimbursement rates and an extension of the child tax credit, among other things. He also hailed the limited increases in the estate tax and the capital gains tax, which could have gone much higher. "The only bad thing in this thing from a conservative standpoint: they've expanded unemployment insurance too far," he said.

That didn't stop right-wing commentators from berating Republicans for giving up on spending cuts. "The Republican Establishment in Washington, DC should be burned to the ground and salt spread on the remains," RedState.com blogger Erick Erickson wrote. Columnist Charles Krauthammer called the bill "a complete surrender on everything."

Inhofe chalked up the angry punditry to "demagoguing," noting that he and others who supported the measure are regularly named some of the Senate's most conservative members.

On the House side, Inhofe said, "Most of the ones that would be categorized as tea partiers are those who got in [to office] being critical of the establishment and sincerely wanting less government, less taxes, less spending. We all feel that way, but they were a little afraid they'd be portrayed as insiders, thinking, 'The electorate back home elected me to do something the establishment is not doing.'"

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[verifabletruthmatters]

The GOP only have two things going on: 1) "DEATH SPIRAL" policies where they have already murdered TENS of MILLIONS w sea level rise, severe weather events & food crop failures due to those events since 2010, & 2) "murder for profit" alliances--BIG OIL, BIG GUNS, BIG TOBACCO, BIG FINANCE, BIG AG, BIG HEALTHCARE, etc. All of these corrupt industries own 95% of the GOP thanks to a Campaign of DECEIT they started in the 1980s which is backed by a corrupt Infrastructure, pursuing the motto: "Fix the data to push the HIDDEN AGENDAS--lie, deceive, fabricate."

On 12-20-12 Terry Gross talked w Mr. Diaz about his book, "The Last Gun--how changes in the gun industry are responsible for the rise in gun violence". It's the history of the assault rifle, which was made for the US military because they're not marksmen, & wasn't to get into the civilian population. Oh, but the gun industry decided that the slow down in sales didn't give them enough profit. Congressman Scott Tiahart of Kansas puts an Amendment on Appropriation Bills because he knows that they will pass. The Amendment forbids the CDC and others to track gun violence, because the gun lobby knows that if the American People have THE FACTS the gun industry loses. Scott Tiahart is, he's one of those Fundamentalists who dominates the TEA PARTY, who want a Christian Theocracy in the U.S. using the Book of Leviticus for Rule of Law, who tells the U.S. military "you're in God's Army doing God's work; he's supposedly pro-life. NPR, Fresh Air, 12-20-2012 get the transcript or listen to the whole interview. Protect the U.S. by being informed. Guns is the same ignorance, lies, and deceit the Right Wing uses for everything. And things aren't working out with the rest of their "DEATH SPIRAL" policies and "murder for profit" alliances. How bad can that get, to where the planet is total chaos?

Planet is on a trajectory to become uninhabitable. We go over a permanent, irreversible cliff 2015 from the Keystone XL Pipeline & those tar sands spewing 70% more pollution into the atmosphere than conventional oil. They created fraud studies about the jobs the Keystone Pipeline would create, just like they do with everything else. It's only a couple thousand, temp., construction jobs. We could be growing GDP by 158% w millions of Green and Infrastructure jobs, leave THE DEBT in the dust and get a Sustainable future. (REINVENTING FIRE, rmi.org) If you really want to know how corrupt the GOP is go to Moyers & Company & watch one expose' after another since 1-13-12 & particularly 1-4-2013 w Mr. Leiserowitz from Yale about the GOP and BIG OIL's "Disinformation Campaign". There's also a couple of articles on Bill McKibbens, founder of 350.org, & he lays out all the numbers. 15 years until we reach another increase in one degree temp in Celcius. It took 100 years to get the first increase but the 2nd is coming in 15 years. Every other measurable area is also out-of-control. They've destabilized the atmosphere with all the moisture that's being driven off the warmer oceans. It means that storms like Sandy w the $70 BILLION price tag, or Irene in 2010, or Issac in 2011 that flooded around New Orleans again, or Katrina, or Bopha which hit the Philippines in early Dec 2012 will become common place. Bopha killed 2000 people and left 1 million homeless. Same thing w sea level rise. It's 60% accelerated. They were expecting 3 feet rise by 2100 & every indication now is it will be 3 feet by 2025, 60 feet by 2100. Watch the documentaries? "Chasing Ice" by James Balog. 16 cameras record the deterioration of the ICE SHEETS. One of them just receded more in 3 yrs than the previous 100 yrs. All that is becoming sea level rise or no more clean water for India. "PBS, NOVA "Megastorms--how the hurricanes listed above will be commonplace". PBS, NOVA, "Secrets Beneath The Ice"--the melting of Antarctica will account for much of that 60 ft sea level rise. PBS, Frontline's "Climate of Doubt--GOP, BIG OIL's "Disinformation Campaign". A group committed to a Campaign of DECEIT that resultantly creates nothing but "DEATH SPIRAL" policies--1) Global Warming, 2) Keystone XL pipeline, 3) "cut and gut" budget that was forced on Roosevelt causing a double-dip driving unemployment past 15% that they want to do again, 4) repeal FINANCE REFORM so derivatives stuffed w junk can damage the economy for the 4th time just like 1987 (S&L), 1998 (LTCM), 2008 (Subprime)& all their "Murder for profit" listed above; well a group that sick, that dysfunctional, that psychotic doesn't belong in positions of power at any level of government. Clean out the corruption in the U.S Congress 2014, 2016. The DAMAGE REPORT is already in on their 3 decades of lies about Global Warming--they've killed TENS of MILLIONS & there's BILLIONS in damages to be TRILLIONS by 2020. We could be growing GDP by 158% w millions of jobs, leave THE DEBT in the dust,& get a Sustainable Future but for the GOP and the corrupt corporations who own them.

[zenia5]

Following are some exerpts from an excellent article by Charley Reese of the Orlando Sentinel. It clearly spells out the TRUTH of what is going on in today's politics:
"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings...out of the 300 million...who are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do."
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!

[SJames6621]

The repub party long ago sold out to the bible belt south some of whom still worship segregation etc.

obama is those christian extremists nightmare come true.

The repubs would sacrifice the whole country's economy - and let the world collapse into economic disaster to wreck obama's presidency

Those people in the south want to turn America into a theocracy.

Theocracies always morph into monstrosities. Eg the Dark ages wwhen Rome ran Europe.

TThe nut jobs who gave us 9-11

Saudi arabia with its chop chop square in Rihyad (about once a week they have public executions as of about 10 years ago.)

An example of the christian extremists is a pastor Worley of NC, who not so long ago said to put gays behind and electrified fence.

Thats exactly what happened to them in Nazi germany -the fences of Dachau, Auschwitz etc

Again - welcome to right wing extiantiy and you can bet their claims are "you cna never have enough guns"

[Harley Vet]

Look at turtle head mitch,,loser,old busted out scum bag will be out in 2014

[enk888]

I must admit as I approach age 90 that I nurtured a false notion that all Americans would tend to move ahead after we got past indefensible positions on race and racial discrimination, equal opportunity, education, religious freedom, use of taxpayer dollars to finance religion. But, on the contrary, we went backwards in education, health insurance, guns, corporate dollars to finance politicians, fiscal policy, progressive taxation, until today we are behind most of the world in most measures of achievement and science. We forge ahead in TV watching, obesity, gun deaths, and incarcerations. We also insist on denial of global warming, utility grid breakdown, and approaching transportation gridlock. And, altogether we have growing population of ill educated, foggy minded reactionaries dreaming that if we shut our eyes and deny paying taxes we may wake up some day in heaven. Good luck with that!

[WhereisOT]

Who gives a sh**....they have proven what they are and what they stand for (which is not for We the People) time and again.....

[larry2012]

Until both parties can learn to compromise, cease the corruption and start doing the jobs for which they were elected, nothing will change and America will continue it's downhill spiral into 3rd world status.

[modeloman]

will the GOP unite? should be reworded to say "Will the GOP have the nuts to ignore the ultimate extremist right wing insult of "RINO" and leave the taliban baggers in the dust where they belong.

[Protect_US_Jobs]

Wouldn't it be more productive if both parties worked together as AMERICANS to draft bills that could be put up for a vote together, rather than each party trying to draft their own bills an just trying to pass them as Republicans or Democrats.

Bills drafted and proposed by members of both parties as AMERICANS, rather than as a Democrat's bill or Republican's bill, would be much more likely to pass. Or does that make too much sense?

[qyeteye]

I like that.

Our national polarization dilemma is victim to duality, instead of using it.
We and they, right and wrong, etc.
Reflects in part confrontation-based american legal system.
Most "politicians" have "legal" backgrounds correct?
Simplistic interpretation of differences boil down to divide and conquer - instead of find common ground and build.

For a life form to exist with balance it takes cooperation of opposites. Yin and yang.

Our nation desperately needs more practical intelligence and less manipulated propagandized (word-doctored) voters.

[Protect_US_Jobs]

Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The way that both parties having been operating for years just stinks! Neither party has really been looking out for the best interests of the US Citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.

Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide.

It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and its citizens. All the single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go!

Both parties need to start working together and actually start doing something to fix the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration, the out of control costs of health care insurance and our reliance on foreign fuel. If they don't start working together and actually start making progress by the next election, then American citizens should run a nation-wide campaign to vote out all incumbents regardless of party to send the message.

[ichibandan]

The GOP has suffered so many self-inflicted wounds that it may not recover by 2014. The aid to Sandy Hurricane victims is the latest screwing of the People. How can they be that myopic? Don't they understand they get thier salaries from the People and the People can fire them?Time for a grass roots nationwide recall campaign. The 112th is the laziest Congress on record. Get rid of the dead weight.Boehner makes $ 223,500 in salary alone. McConnell makes $ 193,400. And they haven't done squat.If you ran government as a business as many Republicans want, these are the first two deadbeats you need to fire.

[qyeteye]

Corporate world has for better or worse what is called "performance based management" with heavy reliance on functional roles and metrics to justify financial participation.

Time to apply that to Congress.

How do they "perform"?

Do they deserve what the people pay them to represent them?

2014 the people decide with their vote if they measure up. Voters should be less tribal and more objective.

It's our nation and we get what we give with our vote.

[ReasonableHumanBeing]

Time for a Constitutional Amendment that removes Congressional responsibilities for areas that they have proven themselves unable to handle -- like anything having to do with finances, or other important matters.

Let them do menial labor around DC and host little tea parties every day.