Obama Urges Democratic Support Of Tax Cut Deal
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama spoke in favor of the new tax cut deal that he negotiated with Republican leaders, and sought to address Democratic objections to it.
“Now, I recognize that many of my friends in my own party are uncomfortable with some of what’s in this agreement, in particular the temporary tax cuts for the wealthy. And I share their concerns,” said Obama. “It’s clear that over the long run, if we’re serious about balancing the budget, we cannot afford to continue these tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers – especially when we know that cutting the deficit is going to demand sacrifice from everyone. That’s the reality.
But at the same time, we cannot allow the middle class in this country to be caught in the political crossfire of Washington. People want us to find solutions, not score points. And I will not allow middle class families to be treated like pawns on a chessboard.”
GOPer Noem: Stopping Tax Increases Only ‘A Good First Step’
In this weekend’s Republican address, Rep.-elect Kristi Noem (R-SD) said that the extension of the Bush tax cuts should only be the first step of efforts by the new Republican House majority to look at cutting government.
“While stopping all the tax hikes would be a good first step, this alone won’t eliminate the job-killing uncertainty hanging over our employers and entrepreneurs,” said Noem. “That’s why we need to focus on cutting spending and reducing the size of government. The American people want us to stop spending dollars we don’t have. To do that, we need to start taking a long, hard look at the size and scope of government and find new ways to resist Washington’s urge to grow and to grow.”
Clinton Expresses Frustration At Mideast Impasse
The Associated Press reports: “Without suggesting a new path toward Mideast peace, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed frustration Friday with the Israel-Palestinian impasse while insisting the Obama administration will ‘not lose hope.’…’It is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires,’ she said in a dinner speech at the Saban Forum, a Mideast policy seminar sponsored by the Brookings Institution think tank. ‘And like many of you, I regret that we have not gotten farther, faster.'”
CBO Score Shows Tax Plan Ups Deficit $900 Billion In 5 Years
CNN reports: “The Congressional Budget Office released its score Friday on the tax plan hammered out between Republicans and President Barack Obama, showing a $893 billion hit on the deficit over the next five years…The 13-month extension of unemployment benefits adds less than $57 billion to the deficit. The highest price item is the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, which will add more than $400 billion to the deficit, followed by the payroll tax holiday at about $225 billion.”
Grass-Roots Love Protects Ron Paul
Roll Call reports: “In the House Republican Conference, Rep. Ron Paul is untouchable. For a Member who operates as a loner and has ignored his leadership’s directives for years, the Texas Republican is given an amount of leeway rarely allocated to rank-and-file Members, let alone those who stand to hold positions of power in the House. But most Members don’t have the massive Libertarian following Paul has maintained since his unsuccessful bid for president in 2008.”
After Tense Midterms, DeMint And Cornyn Agree To Bury The Hatchet
The Hill reports: “The chairman of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm and Tea Party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint are pledging to work more closely together in the 2012 election cycle. DeMint and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) say they want to avoid the tensions of 2010, when DeMint backed anti-establishment candidates who ended up defeating Cornyn-backed candidates in several Senate races.”
