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Subscribe to RSSIn an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, President Barack Obama tells David Gregory he's optimistic the fiscal cliff can be averted, lays out the goals for his second term, and also discusses the Benghazi attack and how it was handled by the administration and those on Capitol Hill.
Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET: President Barack Obama on Sunday said congressional Republicans and their insistence on preventing tax increases for the very wealthy are standing in the way of a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.
In an exclusive interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," the president chided House Republicans as the clock continued to run out on a potential agreement.
"They say that their biggest priority is making sure that we deal with the deficit in a serious way, but the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are protected," Obama said. "That seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme."
President Barack Obama says he negotiated with House Speaker Boehner in good faith and moved more than halfway in order to achieve a grand bargain.
House Speaker John Boehner issued a statement shortly after Obama's interview was broadcast accusing the president of backpedaling on "needed cuts and reforms" that he had previously agreed upon.
With a little more than one day remaining before the nation faces automatic spending cuts and tax hikes that could impact an already-wobbling American economy, the president implied that there has been little progress in recent days to justify hopes of a last-minute deal to prevent going over the fiscal cliff at year's end.
"I was modestly optimistic yesterday, but we don't yet see an agreement," he said in the interview, taped on Saturday at the White House. "And now the pressure's on Congress to produce."
The president appeared open to eliminating at least some of the scheduled automatic spending cuts if Republicans agree to tax increases for the wealthy. Those cuts are slated to impact defense spending and non-entitlement discretionary spending beginning on Jan. 1.
"If we have raised some revenue by the wealthy paying a little bit more, that would be sufficient to turn off what's called the sequester, these automatic spending cuts, and that also would have a better outcome for our economy long-term," he said.
The president challenged Republicans to vote on legislation that he said should be introduced by the Democrat-controlled Senate to prevent taxes on the "middle class" from being increased.
But he did not specify what income level he would be willing to accept as a dividing line between those who retain Bush-era tax rates and those whose rates would increase. The president has consistently supported increasing taxes on families making over $250,000 a year, but that figure has been a major bargaining chip in negotiations.
Wherever the line on tax increases ends up, Obama urged a vote in both houses on a final Senate bill if a broader agreement cannot be reached.
Pete Souza / White House Photo
President Barack Obama is interviewed by David Gregory of NBC's "Meet The Press" in the Blue Room of the White House, Dec. 29, 2012.
"Everybody should have a right to vote on that," he said. "If Republicans don't like it, they can vote no. But I actually think that there's a majority support for making sure that middle class families are held harmless."
"So far, at least, Congress has not been able to get this stuff done," he added. "Not because Democrats in Congress don't want to go ahead and cooperate, but because I think it's been very hard for Speaker Boehner and Republican Leader McConnell to accept the fact that taxes on the wealthiest Americans should go up a little bit, as part of an overall deficit reduction package."
Dismissing the notion that the Democratic Party is as compromise-averse as the GOP, the president said Democrats -- "warts and all" -- have more consistently agreed to components of bipartisan deals.
"What I'm arguing for are maintaining tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans. I don't think anybody would consider that some liberal left-wing agenda. That used to be considered a pretty mainstream Republican agenda," he said. "And it's something that we can accomplish today if we simply allow for a vote in the Senate and in the House to get it done. The fact that it's not happening is an indication of how far certain factions inside the Republican Party have gone where they can't even accept what used to be considered centrist, mainstream positions on these issues."
The president offered no new suggestions of compromise measures that may be more palatable to Republicans, although he acknowledged that some Democrats oppose entitlement adjustments and some of the spending cuts that he's put forward during negotiations.
The president games out different scenarios of how he thinks the fiscal cliff negotiations will be resolved.
"The offers that I've made to [Republicans] have been so fair that a lot of Democrats get mad at me," he said, noting that his acceptance of Chained CPI, a measure that would change the way Social Security payments are determined, has caused particular rancor within his own party.
"Highly unpopular among Democrats," he said of the proposed change. "Not something supported by AARP. But in pursuit of strengthening Social Security for the long-term I'm willing to make those decisions."
If an impasse remains in place, Obama warned, Republicans' rejection of his version of deficit reduction plans would be enough to send financial markets skidding.
"What's been holding us back is the dysfunction here in Washington," he said. "And if people start seeing that on January 1st this problem still hasn't been solved, that we haven't seen the kind of deficit reduction that we could have had had the Republicans been willing to take the deal that I gave them, if they say that people's taxes have gone up, which means consumer spending is going to be depressed, then obviously that's going to have an adverse reaction in the markets."
In his statement, Boehner, R-Ohio, called Obama's comments "ironic," saying that "a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party. Needed cuts and reforms that the president agreed to just last year were no longer on the table, as he cited an inability to sell them to Democrats.
"In an effort to get the president to agree to cut spending -- which is the problem -- I put revenues on the table last year, and I put them on the table again last month. Republicans made every effort to reach the 'balanced' deficit agreement that the president promised the American people, while the president has continued to insist on a package skewed dramatically in favor of higher taxes that would destroy jobs. We've been reasonable and responsible. The president is the one who has never been able to get to 'yes.'"
NBC News' Frank Thorp contributed to this report.
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the republicans are doing what i voted for sorry obama you lost
Uh, no. The GOP LOST. Lost the WH, and about 10 seats in the House and a few in the Senate.
Have you been in a coma or just drunk since Nov?
I think that if there is no deal, Dick Cheney should just offer to take the GOP leadership hunting with him!
But he will shoot them all in the face - Oh yea I see - Good idea.
Occupy Congress! They're not doing anything useful with the space, anyway! While we're at it, occupy all the congressional offices, their limousines and the congressional lunchroom, too.
The headline should read "Obama's insistence on not living up to his commitment (campain promises) to deal with spending cuts is stopping fiscal cliff deal". But, given the media's love for this non-productive President, it is certainly no surprise!
Stop posting things you know arent true. The world is sick of Republican lies. Thats why you got clobbered in this election. Bye Bye
Its smart of the president to go on tv and let the whole country know they are being hogtied by the republican catering to 2% of the people. Boehner should have addressed his issues that way too.
How about ' Obama sticking to his campaign promise to keep the tax cuts for those earning $250K or less'?
You know he even offered to compromise to what over $400K but the GOP said no - 1M and eliminate SS.
That's the bargaining ideas that lost the GOP the last election.
Tax the rich at higher rates! Minimum 50% over 400,000 income
How about 100%? Or maybe 120%? And maybe the rich people should be forced to wash your car for you.
ct. In the 50's they were taxed at 91%. And that was with a GOP president!
But in fact, the tax rates of the 1950's didn't necessarily reduce CEO consumption; it just reduced their reported taxable income. The high income tax rates in the 1950's were paired with a corporate tax system that allowed companies much more generous deductions for things like business lunches, business-travel-with-spouse, and so forth. Right now you pay Rick Wagoner a squillion dollars, and he entertains important people on his own dime; in 1955, you paid him less, but he expensed all his entertaining to the company. Descriptions of 1960's expense account procedures for even entry-level management are enough to make this journalist rather faint with envy.
This difference also explains some of the difference between American executives and those in Europe; among my American friends in international finance, European expense accounts are the subject of something close to awe. This is not to say that the tax code is the only explanation; almost no phenomenon has a single cause, and I have no doubt that there has been an actual, as well as an apparent, increase in CEO compensation. But I greatly doubt that it is anywhere near as large as the taxable income figures seem to make out. Leaving founder-owners like Larry Ellison and Bill Gates aside, it's hard for me to detect massive lifestyle differences between F. Ross Johnson (the CEO of RJR Nabisco described in Barbarians at the Gates) and the current CEO of Kraft Foods (which bought Nabisco). The difference is, the current CEO gets his in cash and stock.
Though $18 million in compensation is a figure that wounds the soul of most journalists, this is probably a better deal for shareholders. A tax system which encourages the CEO to take his compensation in non-cash forms probably induces all sorts of distortionary decisions that make us all, in the long run, worse off. Now, by contrast, he has an incentive to minimise such waste in order to ensure that there will be ample money to fund his compensation.
Listen to the GOP they want to change the tax code so even liberals can understand it.
To the faithful FOX followers----weren't you bamboozled enough during the election? Try watching a channel that tells the truth. Factcheck things if you don't believe me. For the life of me, I can not believe that the Republicans are more worried about the wealthiest people in this country. WHY? Don't you people know that YOU also will be hurt but the fiscal cliff? Don't cry when you see the loss of your income.
So then the Bush tax cuts are indeed good for the country.
Why don't the democrats care more about the middle? They too are sacrificing 98%.
This is our inept disfunctional gov't playing good guy bad guy with the public's financial lives. Whatever the decision, it will not hurt our rule makers at all. Most all of it is for show to keep us in fear for some reason.
Just wait until Obamacare kicks in...
The middle class will be paying higher insurance costs while waiting 2X to 3X longer to sit in line with Medicaid patients that pay NOTHING...
O No! Obamacare! Run for the hills!
imbecille
BS. Fox Noise LIES to make the uneducated AFRAID!
Hey, the clowns in the US House voted to repeal it 35 times! That's all the tea stains have left!
You might want to get a refund on your crystal ball there Thomas. It clearly doesn't work.
The Republicans/Cons NUMBER ONE platform...."Just wait and see".... We have waited for 4 years now and nothing Repubs have claimed has come true. Cons ability to predict the future or recognize reality really stinks.
Just wait and see, huh? Heard it all before! We waited, we saw, then we voted. Deal with it!
Just FYI for some........white house doesn't control the Budget all they do is lay out a guideline and Congress and Senate do the rest.....Problem falls on the GOP Congress and their self interest groups and choosing Party stance over the people.......personally they need to fire them all and we need to elect officials that put the people first and party second not the other way around.
The GOP was so delusional that they thought Mittens would win in Nov, and they'd gain control of the Senate.
They were VERY wrong, and now are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, with no clue what to do!
It was impossible for Romney to win, he actually thought America wanted jobs...
They wanted entitlements and voted for Santa Obama, he was handing out the presents..
thomas. Mittens was LOST and flip flopped on EVERYTHING. He didn't know what his own views were!
Ward00....just another sore loser. Want some cheese to go with your whine? Learn how to run candidates and have policies that can win elections and you would have nothing to whine about. But Repubs/Cons cant or wont do that! They deserve what they have gotten, and will again in 2014, if they dont wake up.
Joe, you mean , like promising free crap to everyone
I keep hearing about all this free stuff. What is it and where do I sign up? Or are you just talking about the same things we have provided for others for decades? Food stamps, housing subsidies, mortgage exemptions, is there any new free stuff we should all get in line for?
Holding America hostage so millionaires can get a tax break they do not need or ask for, is how the Republi-cons roll. For any American to come on here and defend this position is insane. The fox crowd continues to show how easily the low information voter can be brain washed, this group ignores their own interest. Filled with hate for the President they spew nonsensical gibberish ignoring all facts.
This phoney crisis makes it clear why the Republi-cons are the "Taliban of America and need to be voted out come 2014.
They have crashed the world economy and refuses to get out of the way while the adults fix it. After 2 years still not 1 jobs bill.
Republi-cons have introduced 44 bills on abortion, 99 on religion, 71 on family relationships, 36 on marriage, 67 on firearms/gun control, 522 on taxation, 445 on ‘government investigations,’ and zero on job creation.
HYPOCRITES! yet theses Fox idiots continue to spew disinformation and hate.
Correct! Nothing but hate fear and lies from the right. Thats what they do. Scarey thing is they have a large base that eats it up hook line and sinker. We are a very unintelligent country.
Too much propaganda. Not enough facts. The abject failure of our government to act responsibly in the face of economic crisis is directly attributable to a group of rigid ideologues in Congress known as the TEA party. Their behavior over the past two years has been consistently obstructive and destructive. Moderate Republicans are retiring or being driven out of office. The Senate is paralyzed because of indiscriminate use of the filibuster. The U.S. economy is at risk of another recession and, in the case of the upcoming debt ceiling talks, at risk of a global economic crisis. The TEA party behaves like a terrorist organization, bent on achieving its own agenda regardless of consequences to the nation at large. As I have commented previously, they represent a clear and present danger to the American people including those who support the TEA party movement. Unreasoning pursuit in the name of false beliefs can have catastrophic consequences. Be careful what you wish for. The life you save may be your own.
A danger to the whole world actually. The GOP is the most dangerous group of terrorists on our planet.
Johnny, get off your mothers computer and go back to playing with your dolls
Conservatism is a goddamn fraud! You have destroyed enough lives already! You have done enough damage already! You are guilty of political fraud, economic fraud, religious fraud, moral fraud. Go way and stay away!...
Will, who would pay for your welfare then
The same people paying for yours, Joe.
I notice that we have not heard a mumblin' word from any senator or congressman (or VP Biden) that they are not accepting a pay raise. If anything, all of them deserve a huge pay cut. What the Hell is Obama doing approving a pay hike for congress which by his own admission has done "nothing?" I notice he said he would not "guarantee" Social Security checks if the debt ceiling is not raised ~ but he approves pay increases for the worst congress in American history. What Washington needs is about ten huge fires and at least 350 funerals. Maybe then we could start to put a working government together.
Everything will be alright as long as the Vikings crush the Packers and Adrian Peterson sets a new NFL rushing title. Sorry cheeseheads, nothing personal. Despise your governor.
Why would Obama take the blame for a situation that Congress created themselves and that Congress cant resolve!? That makes zero sense. Obama didnt create this cliff, Congress did. Obama cant fix this , only Congress can.
The blame lies with the Party Of NO, Do Nothing Republicans in Congress. That's why we just had an election, and why they lost. Again. They need to get with the program.
Obama is a typical Black, he takes blame for nothing but he is quick to take credit..
You are a typical moron.
Thomas, you sad little bigot! Try to live past the 1950's!
Thomas, did you know the FBI and Secret Service investigates people like you?
reality, you need a reality check. Regardless of his comment, we do have free speech, he made no threat. You hypocrites are ok with all kinds of name calling when it is directed at the right
Any way you slice it the American people will suffer for it, Congress doesn't give a chit about us, The president is a joke he sure as hell doesn't give a chit, the GOP are nothing more then Robbers, The Goverment as of right now is to serve them selves and the sad part is that WE the PEOPLE are paying them to screw us !!!! They have a motto it's called " TAKE ALL YOU CAN WHEN YOU CAN AND GIVE NOTHING BACK " So the next time you look in the mirror you can say I did this I voted these dumb @$$'s in and now I'm screwed........
Anybody have a calculation of what tax rates it takes to balance the budget in 5 years (or some other number of years) assuming (1) the same level of entitlements, susidies, deductions, and defense expenditures, (2) a reasonable future rate of economic growth, and (3) the same proportion of tax rates by income percentile as now?
This is supposed to be NEWS?? We all KNOW the GOP is determined to protect the bush tax cuts for the rich and the corporate loopholes. They've been worshipping at the altar of the moneyed and corporate elite for decades, all the while giving Joe America the finger!
If they dont compromise on this issue and a couple of others, , then over the cliff we go and 2014 will be a GOP bloodbath. That will be good for the country because these guys are DANGEROUS to the national security of the United States!!
As one of the moderators said after the interview: Don't just blame Congress and the President. The majority of the American people are willing to bankrupt our children and grandchildren so long as we aren't inconvenience by spending/benefit cuts or higher taxes. Shame on us.
Did you know that more then 140 prominent conservatives sent a letter to all U.S. Republican legislators telling them that in NO way are they to deal with those democrats on that fiscal cliff thing….and telling them that there WILL be consequences if the do! From the letter: “If Republicans cave in now, when it really counts, next time you will be weaker, because your conservative base will be outraged”. “Many who worked hard to elect you in the past will never lift a finger for you again.” I just love it when conservatives truly stand up for America! Wow! Even Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clearance Thomas, signed it! Just like we have been saying all along….those Republicans better toe the TeaPublican line and say NO to everything….or we are going to run them right out of office come the next primary election! We TeaPublicans WILL take back America in 2014 and 2016….and we WILL take back any un-patriotic Republicans too!
If you really believe that $hit you are spewing, then you are one really crazy mother@#%$^#
Its true, take the time to look it up. Kind of up there with those few bosses threatening workers jobs if Obama got re-elected. Thuggery.
Fascism at work and I saw this coming from the DAY the word "socialism" and the other crap started coming out of the mouths of these extremists, relgious crowing and "taking OUR country back from the Obama and HIS gangster government". When this much shrieking and screaming because a President wants healthcare for all of us AGAIN but the same bunch were silent when what WAS the biggest expansion of government when the Medicare D was rammed through 100% deficit financed, HIPAA passed causing providers the biggest headache and to this day we STILL don't know the price tag of what it costed us to have the changes to all the forms from the coding changes, train everyone in the field from pharmacies, clinics to office staff on compliance with THAT law to the printing of all the privacy notices and making sure ALL people got them-Thank you Tommy Thompson as I was IN medical billing and our medicad mental health cpt codes, units and everything, especially all our AODA codes needed complete changing and after resubmissions of HCFA forms that went out wrong not knowing what the errors were, phone calls galore and then my having to correct each and every form BY HAND until the computer could print them right for the entire mental health center's patients for what was months for HIRSP, WI MA and all the MA HMOs, I thank you again from the bottom of my heart and now, this is is the same asinine party who wants to profile mental health patients for the sake of effing GUN rights and therefore VIOLATE that very law THEY created for "patient PRIVACY".
Just like publicizing women and their doctors in certain state who seek what is supposed to be their RIGHT to a safe and legal ABORTION, passing voter ID laws which restric and hinder which shold one's Consitutional right to VOTE and here we are in teahad controlled states stomping all over the voting rights of people, crushing organized labour w/o impunity across the country villainizing the union worker through successful campaigns and lies thorugh the help of the corporate owned, controlled and operated media as they've been able to do since the 80's as the culprits of our companies not being able to with foreign companies but these last two years? The public sector unions were all out assaulted in a well planned attack in the aking before anyone knew "what hit them" via the Kochtopus and the mega multi-millionaire, billionaire backed so-called "grassroots" farce that the tea party called themselves and are anything but.
I saw this and when my state fell to them and so many others as did The House in DC, I saw what was truly the "end". As one state after another is being swallowed up by these lunatics and the fact that the way districts are "fixed", the worst Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited undisclosed money to flow into the coffers of candidates by anyone and we the people cannot even know since the Disclose of Finance in Campaign Act even got voted down by the RW fascists with the help of the same Blue Dog traitors our democracy is finished in this country.
There is not much President Obama can do and the few in the government LEFT who understa what that word means unless this cancer called the teahads are stopped and that means enough in government from the states to DC to stop being "terrorists" and come around to acting like uman beings. I am not holding my breath and THIS is why after all these years, I practice my 2nd Amendment rights and became a gun owner. Afraid of gangs, muggers or rapists? Nope. Never had a problem with ANY of the above in my life, even when I lived in Flushing, NY. Whackjob RW FASCISTS are my problem and the sick laws that ARE in fact stripping away MY civil rights and turning this country into a "corporate fascist police state" where peaceful protesters are beat up, arrested and thrown in jail" as the media villifies THEM and blacks out the police doing these things and if anyone tries to film the actual events, they ARE arrested and their cameras smashed or confisacted. It takes place all the time in WI since the protests of 2011 in our Capital and no one can film anything in "our house" anymore and that used to be allowed.
People used to be able view our elected officials in session quietly but not anymore as the curtain drawn and they "off limits now after one such person was literally caught cheating voting twice on a piece of legislation and was seen doing it...Someone viewing the proceedings tried to call them out on it but the incident was denied by the senator in question, and of course the person thrown out by capital security, curtain drawn on the rest of the session and that is life in Fitzwalkerstan. You can't even bring signs in the Capital anymore or you're issued a citation for it..."rights, freedom liberty?" For WHO?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Total_Effective_Tax_Rates_2011.jpg
the falacy of income tax and that the rich pay a much high % of total taxes is a republican lie.
Really???? And your proof
perhaps you didn't see the link.
please excuse, i meant total effective tax. the falacy is that income tax is the only tax we pay.
Obama can't stop his spending problem and now wants to focus on social engineering.
The increase in spending under Obama is the LOWEST since IKE was president.
Things they don't tell the ignorant viewers on Fox! Fox likes to keep their kiddies AFRAID!
5 trillion in debt in 4 years with Obama and his insistence to move the debt ceiling up over 1 trillion per year is a spending problem. This is what I am afraid of.
Unlike presidente o@!$%# and do nothing reid who only care about taking more money from hard working, intelligent Americans and using it to give the laziest 47% of the population "mo' free stuffs"!
Yep... That sound's like the typical ignorant ranting of a Texan.
I will pay to build a wall around Texas to keep the texans out of the real America.
I think we should round up Texans who moved across the border to Real America and deport them back to Texas.
OICY and Herron,
You should get together and start your own circle jerk.
Better yet, why don't you liberals form your own little utopia, take all the dead beats with you and see how well it works out for you.
So... The GOP is going to blow up the economy unless the super rich are taken care of first.
Same could be said by trying to insist the 2% pay more, Obama is holding 98% of the country hostage just so he and you liberals can feel good
Written like a true obammy worshipper and ignorant liberal!
Sorry Terry but you are totally clueless. Do some research before you post nonsense. Thanks
That's why TX has the highest rates of people w/o health insurance and the most people with minimum wage jobs. Congratulations, you finally took number one away from MS for this honour. In two years with a statehouse full of teahad idiots and high school drop out who had to get his G.E.D moron Scott Walker and all draconian budget cuts taking the most ever in state history from public schools and universities and on track to take even more, decimating our state health insurance system for the working poor, rolling back environmental protection laws, driving out our wind industry, neutering our public sector unions, stupid laws rolling back women's reproductive health rights, our state version of the Lilly Ledbetter Act and refusing billions in federal money for transportation upgrades starting with HSR, and what has been the worst jobs record since this "let's turn WI into another SC, MS, AL and LA" in the country as he now wants federal grant money to arm our schools and IMPROVE the state mental healthcare system after HE CUT FUNDING to that very system in Milwaukee as Count Executive no less, I could just scream!!!!
Conservative stupidity in action as this is the very essence of what gutting taxes does to an economy because our state never needed much federal help for ANYTHING, had a pretty low unemployment rate, GOOD schools consistently, good public works and people that jobs that paid a comfortable wage overall, kept the majority of our people insured, saw low levels of drop outs, teen pregnancy compared to the national average and were progressing with a policy that encouraged the growth of clean, renewable energy sources as a viable alternative as well a growing job market. This moronic Administration is also pursuing more sick laws against women's reprodutive rights, health and VOTER ID. What else is new with these fascists?
Thanks to idiot WALKER, GONE, all gone.