Obama to governors: Help me get Congress to act on sequester

Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET

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Obama: Sequester impacts "will not all be felt on day one"

With less than a week to go until a wide-ranging package of across-the-board budget cuts is set to kick in, President Obama today entreated the nation's governors to help him convince Congress to compromise on a deal to avert the so-called "sequestration," predicating his plea on the fact that as governors, "you know that compromise is essential to getting things done."

Mr. Obama, speaking to the National Governors Association this morning at the White House, reiterated his warnings about the impact the cuts will have on the nation's economic status, and accused Congress of threatening "to allow a series of arbitrary automatic budget cuts to kick that will slow our economy, eliminate good jobs, and leave a lot of folks who are already pretty thinly stretched scrambling to figure out what to do."

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"These impacts will not all be felt on day one, but rest assured, the uncertainty is already having an effect," the president said. "Companies are preparing layoff notices, families are preparing to cut back on expenses, and the longer these cuts are in place, the bigger the impact will become."

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Taxes wouldn't go up under W.H. sequester plan, Obama says

The cuts, which are spread equally between defense and non-defense discretionary spending, are set to go into effect on March 1. Economists have warned that allowing them to continue unabated could push the nation into another recession, and the Obama administration recently unveiled an in-depth analysis of the various programs that would be impacted.

"These cuts do not have to happen. Congress can turn them off anytime with just a little bit of compromise," Mr. Obama said. "While you are in town I hope that you speak with your congressional delegation" and remind them what's at stake.

In recent weeks, as the president ramps up efforts to facilitate a deal to avert the sequestration, he's been pushing an alternative deal that would make some budget cuts while overhauling the tax code to bring in additional revenue.

"Democrats like me need to back 'modest reforms in Medicare...I've made that commitment," the president said. "We also need Republicans to adopt the same approach to tax reform that [House] Speaker [John] Boehner championed just two months ago... Under our concept of tax reform, nobody's rates would go up, but we'd be able to reduce the deficit by making some tough, smart spending cuts and getting rid of wasteful tax loopholes that benefit the well off and the well-connected."

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Boehner echoes Obama on sequester talks: "Hope springs eternal"

House Republicans are not likely to accept such a plan. During a press conference this afternoon, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, suggested no new ground has broken between Republican leaders and the president, and maintained that any tax reform efforts should go toward lowering the tax rate rather than bring in additional revenue. Asked whether sequestration at this point is a definite, though, he repeated a line Mr. Obama used last week: "Hope springs eternal."

"The president could sit down with Harry Reid tonight and work with Senate Democrats who have the majority in the Senate to move a bill," Boehner said. "It's time for them to act."

[Orlando__]

"Obama to governors: Help me get Congress to act on sequester"

Wow. He's resorting to begging now? How low can you go!

[ccb5508]

Oh....he can, and will.....go A LOT lower!!!

[TimeToEvolve]

It is the governors who are going to pay the price for listening to failed Republicon ideology. They can't flee to Washington to hide with their Wall Street corporate lobbyist owners.

[TimeToEvolve]

Here is another example of why Republicons are so stupid: they actually want to radically change America so it is run by giant billionaire owned corporations.

Even after the corporations purchased the "democratically elected" government and crashed the country, they continue to back Wall Street over Main Street. This goes against their own wallets.

That does not seem too smart to me.

[TimeToEvolve]

Can't answer the question huh? Watching Fox Keeps You Stupid Channel again?

[TimeToEvolve]

Let me just explain why we think the Republicons are so stupid. They keep repeating the same failed ideas of Reagan that have put us into this mess. Even Mitt Robbed Me was saying this junk.

Massive outsourcing of good jobs and manufacturing facilities to enrich billionaires. Cutting government services like PUBLIC EDUCATION that trains Americans for good jobs. Selfish, wasteful ME, ME, ME and placing the filthy rich criminals on Wall Street on a pedestal.

Any other questions?

[TimeToEvolve]

The fact is that the Republicons have been working for over 4 years now to make Obama look bad. They do not care about America, only power and money. What is so frightening is that there are people who actually support this madness without question.

And then they try to turn their madness around and blame liberals and Democrats (actually only maybe 1/2 of the Democrats are really progressive at all). It amazing to see.

[TimeToEvolve]

As it has been since before Reagan the Republicons are on the wrong side of the truth, on the wrong side of history and on the wrong side of all the polls on this issue.

[TimeToEvolve]

So the fact is that this started with Reagan with his tax increases on you and me and the rest of the middle class. The same Republicons in the House who are whining about spending were the ones who created the deficit, insisted on the deficit committee and now want to blame it on Obama.

Sorry but the Republiclowns are again on the wrong side of the facts and on the wrong side of history.

[TimeToEvolve]

First the Republiclowns roll out Mitt Robbed Me for president. The he loses and they say they will change to help America for the first time since before Reagan. And now they are back to the same old same old. We need to purge the government of their entire failed ideology.

[Louis_Chez]

Do you realize the Republicans, as well as their supporters, see the Democrats in exactly the same light?

[TimeToEvolve]

Yeah but what have they shown that they know about reality?

[mewilber]

The president won't be cutting his salary nor will congress. No need to stop wasting our money flying around the country at a cost of millions per trip to complain about corporate jets. It's time to cut and cut deep and stop being a welfare state. Why do we have millions of Federal employees? What are they doing? It's a scam and the thinking public are sick of it. Remember - It is not the government's money!

[mewilber]

Let it kick in! We need huge cuts! This is only 2% and the Dems are whining about "programs". Slash and burn.