Hello, and welcome to the Political Jungle for December 23, 2012. Now, today we are discussing the fiscal cliff, as less than ten days remain.
Welcome back, on Thursday, Speaker Boehner pulled his plan B before it even got to a vote. The Republican leadership had continually said that the measure would have enough support, but it ended up not having enough. The measure was pulled because of a lack of support from members of the party. The plan would have raised taxes on those making over a million dollars a year, and it was Speaker Boehner’s attempt to shift frustration and avoid the fiscal cliff. Afterwards, a frustrated Speaker Boehner said it was now up to the President and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to come up with a deal. The Senate has passed a deal that would raise taxes on those making over a $250,000 dollars a year, which was President Obama’s proposal. So, that means that Speaker Boehner is telling the Democrats to do something that they already have. Any deal would also have to include Speaker Boehner, as he and the Republicans are in control of the House.
Democrats in the House provided no help to the Republicans as they were able to prevent all Democrats from supporting the measure. Now, Leader Nancy Pelosi is taking a quick victory lap, and is calling on Speaker Boehner to work with the President.
According to Harry Reid, the Speaker’s proposal and the President’s proposal are only a few billion dollars short. This may sound like a lot, but in the context of the budget, it actually provides hope. The question becomes whether or not the two leaders will make up the difference and come up with a solution.
On Friday before he and his family left for Hawaii, President Obama held a press conference to talk about the fiscal cliff. He said that a deal has not been reached, and said the two sides should possibly come to a watered-down deal in order to avoid the fiscal cliff. President Obama also said that work on a deal will continue after Christmas.
Well thank you for joining us on Political Jungle. Remember to join us every Friday and Sunday for cold hard politics because it is a jungle out there.