I like this overall.
President Barack Obama never said the word “mandate” Tuesday night, but that’s exactly what the White House thinks he has to break Washington’s cold war over taxes.
snip
Obama will tell them he wants a grand bargain. He’ll offer to cut entitlement programs that Democrats treasure. And he’ll pledge work with “anybody of any party to move this country forward,” as he said on the campaign trail.
But he will go only so far, the White House insists. His starting point in the negotiations is that raising taxes on the wealthy is non-negotiable.
snip
“President Obama did something few campaigns have done: He campaigned on higher taxes for the wealthy,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the White House.
“That issue was in every debate, it was in every stump speech and was in his closing argument. Mitt Romney tried to attack him on it, and he always parried back. The president has a mandate for the American people for tax fairness. It is the GOP whose position is out of step with the American people: threaten a tax increase on the middle class to protect the wealthy from paying their fair share. That should not be acceptable to anyone.”
Politico
Yes, I read the words:
His starting point in the negotiations is that raising taxes on the wealthy is non-negotiable.
I'd like that as an ending point, but at least there is no pre-negotiation "compromises."
Remember, if we do nothing, taxes for all go up and Rs must explain why they raised taxes on the middle class.
Celebrate the election and then we have a big fight with the Republican House.
Update I:
Quickland makes a good point:
PS: You mis-read the meaning of starting point (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:TomP
The meaning is this: We are starting this discussion with one thing already settled - there will be taxes bumps on the upper income brackets. This point will not be negotiated.
It is as firm an opening salvo as is diplomatically polite to make.
Don't panic
by Quicklund on Wed Nov 07, 2012 at 12:07:47 PM CST
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That would be even better. I like that.
But even if it is an opening position, it's still good overall. I sort of read it as there will be increases, but allowing for the possibility of discussions regarding the amount of increases.
I can live with either reading, but prefer Quickland's. We'll see how it plays out.