Greg Sargent:
And so the current Republican demand, as I understand it, is that Dems must agree to Social Security cuts and a higher income threshold for the lower tax rates (either $400,000 or $500,000, depending on the source), in exchange for an extension of middle class tax cuts (which Republicans also want) and an extension of unemployment benefits. If Dems don’t give up those things, while allowing Republicans to retain their debt ceiling leverage, taxes go up on everybody and unemployment benefits expire for over two million Americans.
Why would Democrats agree to Social Security cuts and lower tax rates on many wealthy households even as Republicans hold on to their leverage to extract still more in spending cuts later? No wonder a Dem aide described this as a “serious setback.”
When will the goddamn Democrats learn that the GOP is not now and has not been negotiating in good faith?
The American People overwhelmingly support the White House position in polling now (and at the polls last month). At this point, the Democrats and the White House should tell the GOP to go fuck themselves, dare them to vote no on an extension of unemployment and lower tax rates for people earning less than $250,000 a year, and then use the new senate and house that we elected in response to years of GOP obstructionism to get something new done on or about January 3.
There isn’t going to be a Grand Bargain. There never was going to be a Grand Bargain. These people are nihilists, Donnie.
At this point, we don't need to remind McConnell and Boehner that they lost. We need to remind Reid and President Obama that they won.