By Lesley Clark and David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers –
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama assured labor unions and liberal organizations Tuesday that he’s firmly committed to letting tax cuts for higher incomes expire as scheduled at the end of the year, even as congressional Republicans accused him of refusing to propose a specific plan to settle a looming budget crisis.
Obama met with the labor and liberal groups for an hour at the White House, his first extended meeting with anyone from outside his administration since he won re-election a week ago. He told them he’s committed to raising taxes on higher incomes as he negotiates with Congress on avoiding the “fiscal cliff” of automatic tax increases when Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of the year and automatic spending cuts negotiated during last year’s debt crisis kick in.
“President Obama today strongly reiterated his steadfast commitment to ensuring that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent finally end Dec. 31 and to protecting the middle class in the process,” said Justin Ruben, executive director of the liberal group MoveOn.org Political Action.
“The president, like we are, is committed to preserving the tax breaks for the middle class and making sure that rich people pay their fair share,” said AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka. “We’re very committed to making sure that the middle class and workers don’t end up paying the tab for a party that we didn’t get to go to and the president is committed to that as well.”
Trumka and several other attendees, including National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel, wouldn’t divulge details, including whether Obama talked about issues that some liberals oppose — including raising the eligibility age for Medicare.
Ruben sidestepped the question of Obama’s position on Medicare, praising him generally but noting that his group’s 7 million members would fight to protect Medicare and other entitlements from cuts.
“We also appreciate that the president again promised not to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and the poor,” Ruben said in a statement. “And our members are committed to defending Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security from any benefit cuts as part of a budget deal.”
Obama plans to meet with business executives Wednesday and congressional leaders Friday at the White House. Republicans Tuesday signaled they want to see more specifics from the president, and reiterated their staunch opposition to any change in tax rates.
Almost everything else, though, appeared to be up for discussion, and they want Obama to go first.
“How do we get around the stalemate? That’s simple: presidential leadership. We will arrive at a plan when the president presents one, or we won’t get anywhere at all.” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a fiery floor speech.
He insisted he has seen no plan. “Instead of showing a faith and a willingness to solve the problem, we get the same tired talking point — that we can’t cut our way to prosperity,” McConnell said. “Well, that may poll well. But it isn’t a plan. It’s a cliche that’s meant to shut down debate and prevent a serious proposal from ever taking shape.”
Senate Republicans did not discuss details of their own plan, though McConnell joined House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in ruling out any increase in tax rates. Obama wants to retain current rates for individuals earning less than $200,000 and families making less than $250,000.
For others, the current rates of 33 percent and 35 percent would return to the pre-Bush rates of 36 percent and 39.6 percent.
@Matt No everyone that didn’t support Obama is not a teabagger. Everyone that supported Obama is not Black, not on welfare, not trying to destroy america. Most of us have jobs, pay taxes and have never got a government handout. If I can put up with that crap you can to.
It you want to help the middle class and get manufacturing back to the US get rid of the corporate income tax. Companies don’t pay taxes it goes into the price of their products. If taxes are to high and regulation is to high then the companies is going somewhere the tax and regulation is better. I serious doubt Obuma is going to do anything to help the middle class. He is all air and not show. The only thing he is going to do is give public money to the public unions that supported him. And to failed green companies that donated to him. He is going to go after any company that didn’t support him. Just watch. He is a liar and if you would bother to listen to his speeches and then watch what he does you would figure it out.
What a dork, if you actually paid any attention you would have known that Obama had many chances in the first 2 years of his term to “cater” to the unions, and he did nothing for them. He did sign the Lilly Ledbetter act regarding equal pay for women. But if you are a union person, you don’t have to worry about that. The union protects women from that.
Just another sore loser about the election results. Whatever!
Welcome to Obamanomics 101. Lets take from the class that creates the jobs by investing in new factories. Will any of Adolf Obamas welfare voters create all the needed jobs. No. Thats the new Demaocratic party. The party of the deadbeats.
The rich are not job creators. They just hide the money in off shore accounts or buy another house. Trickle down economics DOES NOT WORK. We need to build this country from the middle class and STOP sending jobs to other countries. Manufacture it HERE and get a tax break for that. Using Hitler’s name when referring to our President is way out of line, you must be a “DittoHead”. THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!! Stop crying!
To all those people that keep saying the voters have spoken should just once google “voter fraud 2012 election”.
maybe… Voter Fraud, are you freakin’ kidding me?!
John, Maybe and others like him don’t believe in facts. They can’t accept the fact that Pres Obama was the best man for the job. They can’t accept the fact that Pres Obama won the election fair and square. They can’t accept the fact that the republicans are way out of touch with the average American. They watch to much Faux News and listen to to much Rush. And they believe what they are hearing there.
“The rich are not job creators. They just hide the money in off shore accounts or buy another house.” They could “hide” their money in US Banks and you would STILL not get any tax revenue from it. Buying another house allows the seller to MAKE a taxable income along with the realtor; or if they want a NEW house allows a construction firm to make money and EMPLOY workers, as well as the architect to make money (all of which is taxed).
“Trickle down economics DOES NOT WORK.” see my statement above. IT DOES WORK. The one thing all you TAX the RICH CLASS WARFARE people forget is the RICH do not need to MAKE money, they already have it. If they choose to remove THEIR money from taxable venues, there is nothing YOU or ANYONE can do about it. If you bothered to investigate, when the rich feel that they are being taxed to greatly “they take their football and go home”; tax revenues decrease.
“We need to build this country from the middle class and STOP sending jobs to other countries.” Care to elaborate as to how to do this? You want goods at a low price and yet you want manufacturers to provide a “living wage and entitlements.”
“Manufacture it HERE and get a tax break for that.” How do you pay for those price supports, remember Sugar is/has been price supported for years.
“Using Hitler’s name when referring to our President is way out of line, you must be a “DittoHead”.” Yep, were you offended when the privious President was called names?
“THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!! Stop crying!” Yes the voters have spoken, they have elected Obama as President and kept a Republican Majority in the House or Representative, re-affirming the sttatus-quo of the last 2 years.
John, I agree with you, we need to build a stronger middle class and a big step in that would be to quit shipping jobs over seas. the problem is I don’t see that happening from either party. You people that elected Obama need to start holding him accountable. He has many good talking points that we all can agree on but he isn’t actually acting on them. If you are honest you will see that, if you aren’t honest you will just say he is trying but the republicans aren’t letting it happen.
Jason, Taxes are at an all time low on the rich. By your logic everyone should have a job created by those rich. Where are they? Returning to tax rates that were in effect in the Clinton years won’t hurt the rich. It will force them to invest some of the money into creating jobs just like it did then. When people like Romney pay a lower tax rate than the average Joe making 30k to 50k a year something isn’t right or fair. Why is this so hard for you teabaggers to understand. I know this idea is not accepted by the right wingers but look at the facts. History backs me up and history disproves your claims.
Jason also the do need to make money. their greed forces to make more money. That is what most of them live for. They are like people addicted to gambling…whatever they make it isn’t enough and most don’t care what they have to do to make it.
Have you ever heard of gerrymandering? That is the only reason the teabaggers kept the mjority in the house. In spit of that the dems have picked up seats in the house and senate. The mandate was for Pres. Obama not the teabaggers. Obama won in what teabaggers would have called a landslid if Romney would have won.
If the rich and evil corporations and citizens dont create jobs lets just get rid of them. Who then would you call upon to pay. In 2009 the top 1% paid one third of all federal income tax(average343,000 income) Just the millionaires themselves paid 16% total federal tax revenue. How about the 40% who pay nothing finally cough up. Everyone can say rich dont pay as much (in percentage) but how bout real numbers?? Different story. The next 4 years will tell who POTUS can blame, when he points the finger no one will be in that chair.
Listen assbag, just because he doesn’t support Obama doesn’t mean he’s a Teabagger. I am so sick of your hypocritical ass.
I’m sorry happyguy, how will any increase in taxes “force” the rich to invest in anything? Its their money. To do as they wish, invest or not to invest, to purchase a new house or not, to stuff it into a mattress or bury in a mason jar. During the Clinton era the Rich were making money and paying taxes at the rate THEY found acceptable, not so much now. And again the RICH do not HAVE to make money. Its not an addiction (although it might be for some few), I know that you need some way to explain how some people won’t give you some of what they earn. Get off the rate kick, why is it so hard for you to understand that the rich pay more in dollars than their secretaries.
Oh and thank you for keeping up the Democratic Party’s ideals of tolerance and inclusion.
Matt…if it walks like a teabagger and talks like a teabagger most likely it’s a teabagger. That isn’t being hypocritical, it’s being honest. you being sick of me means that I must be stricking a cord with you. The truth hurts doesn’t it?
Not Drinking…in 2010 the top 1% control 35.4% of all wealth in the US. the top 20% control about 89% of all wealth. Who should be paying more and at a higher tax rate? This isn’t rocket science it is simple math. We can agree to disagree if you think the person making 50k a year, going to work every day, should pay a higher tax rate than the person making 250k a year sitting at home doing nothing collecting interest and dividends.
Fox News, CNN, CBS was all talking about the voter fraud. There are dozens of websites with the evidence. In Philidelphia there is 59 districts yet Romney didn’t receive a single vote yet people claimed they voted for him. The IT guys are calling is a programming error. In 1 county in Ohio there is over 98,000 registered voters but over 106,000 voted. The only states not reporting some kind of fraud are the states that require voter I.d.You guy keep saying that we believe everything that we are told yet the left side is the same, if it goes their way then it is the truth and everything anybody else is saying is a lie. I do my own research and if there is more than 6 different web sites that say the same thing then there might be something to it. I guess it’s OK for you guys to believe what they tell you, you can’t have wolves without a few sheep.
@Maybe Plenty of voter fraud in the two Bush elections but did you or the Republicans care? NO!!! So put yourself in with the hypocritical sheep.
Maybe, I follow the news pretty close (except for Faux News and MSNBC). Why haven’t I heard of all the voter fraud you are claiming went on? I did hear a story where 1 district in Philly was entirely in a lake. But stories of massive fraud? No. What I have read says that it is extremely rare. So how about some proof?
I am not sure what you are looking for but when I type in voter fraud I get these pages. http://voterfraud2012.com/
http://superstore.wnd.com/2012-VOTER-FRAUD-CHALLENGE
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/heatherginsberg/2012/11/10/breaking_massive_voter_fraud_in_st_lucie_county_florida
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Ohio-voter-registration-fraud/2012/11/03/id/462674
http://www.naturalnews.com/037952_vote_fraud_Philadelphia_elections.html
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/maine_gop_chair_alleges_possible_voter_fraud_by_dozens_of_black_people/
and thats just some of them.
maybe…I can go on and on if you want me to but I will start with these. If you want more let me know. I can counter everyone of yours with one of mine…”Efforts to measure the extent of voter fraud by compiling criminal cases have indicated that the problem isn’t particularly widespread. One study last month, conducted by a group of journalism students through a project called News21, found 2,068 cases of alleged voter fraud in the U.S. since 2000, including 10 cases of voter impersonation”
“Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda. Voter fraud is most often invoked as a substantial problem in order to justify particular election policies. Chief among these is the proposal that individuals be required to show photo ID in order to vote – a policy that disenfranchises up to 10% of eligible citizens. But the only misconduct that photo ID addresses is the kind of voter fraud that happens as infrequently as death by lightning. Therefore, it suits those who prefer photo ID as a policy to lump as much misconduct in with “voter fraud” as possible, to create the impression that the problem is far more significant than it actually is. Moreover, to the extent photo ID is suggested as a solution to the perception that voter fraud occurs, it behooves those who prefer photo ID to reinforce the unsubstantiated perception that voter fraud exists
Ok you say a buch of college students did a study that refuted all the web pages I just sent you. They say that for every study there is a study that refutes it. All I am saying is that I have read about alot of voter fraud. The number in your study, 2000 since 2000 I think is BS. When there is over 141% voter turnout in 1 county alone I would say is alittle more than 2000. I don’t know why for only 1 day they were all talking about it then stop. If there was no voter fraud and it was all a mistake you would think they would be reporting on that but it all just stopped. I know that 99% of the media is in love with obama and after the last press conference showed they would do and say anything to kiss his a$$ but there are some out there that don’t care who he is, if there is a story they will persue it. You said you can refute those web pages I posted and more if I wanted, well after reading what you just wrote you didn’t refute nothing, you will have to do better than that.
A friend of mine just told me an interesting story from the 1%. He lives in Florida in a resort community. About 3 blocks from his home, a new home is being built. It has been an ongoing construction lasting almost 19 months. He walks by the home every morning and has become acquainted with the builder – not the owner. He watched one day as the builders tore the front entryway down and started over. When he asked why the builder told him the owner decided he didn’t like the entryway as it was in the original plan and he came up with his own plan. The cost for the new front door? $51,000 according to the contractor. When you talk about harming the ones who pay the highest percentage of taxes, think on this. Who needs a $51,000 door? Who has that kind of money? Are there ways that much money could be put to better use? A slightly higher tax on income wouldn’t hurt this guy. Nor would it keep him from building his multi-million dollar home.
My last post about this was deleted so I will try again. “You want goods at a low price and yet you want manufacturers to provide a “living wage and entitlements.” This is what the manufacturers don’t want. They don’t want to pay a living wage. They send their factories to China to get workers who work cheaply, but the price of their goods are still high. They want PROFITS. BIG PROFITS. They seldom pass that profit along to their workers nor do they lower their prices. They just look for more ways to reduce overhead so they can continue to make BIG PROFITS. I have a friend who lives in a resort community in Florida. 3 blocks from his home a new home is being built. He walks past the construction every morning and has a passing acquaintance with the builder. He noticed last week that the front entryway of the almost built home was being torn out. He asked why? He was told by the contractor that the owner decided he didn’t like the original door so he found one that suited him. The price for the new door and entryway? $51,000. Raising taxes on this man a little wouldn’t stop him from adding a $51,000 door but it does tell you something. He has too much money for his own good. Who needs a door that costs that much? I have many, many friends who don’t make that much money in a year’s time.
few more days like we have had in the market will take out a lot of the rich.
really thinking about selling some of my holdings
I am trying real hard to stay out of the politics that are going on because I really believe that the majority of the people voted for Obama and we have him for another four years and we need to learn how to work together. However, I think the Real Fred is correct. This is part of the class warfare that was created to get Obama elected. The Republicans were dumb enough to let this happen and not listen to the people. If you want to raise rates on rich people as part of a overall program that would be OK. I don’t think they will miss the little bit it will cost them. However, there also needs to be reduction in cost to get within limits. It is real easy to me, don’t spend more than you take in.
Raising taxes on millionaires will raise such an infinitesimal amount of money that it will do nothing. Except let liberals say “ha, take that rich people!”
So go ahead and do it. Then what? What a joke!
Wrong! It will make a huge difference. That is what turned our deficit into a surplus during the the Clinton years, And then Bush screwed it all up with his tax breaks, corporate welfare and his 2 wars. We need to raise tax rates on the wealthy, get out of Afghanistan and don’t get into any other wars. Then reduce our defecit and rebuild this great country, We’re all on the same team. Forward.
Show us all how it’s wrong Einstein.
There are just a little over 5 million millionaires in the US. How much will you raise their taxes?
Let’s say $50,000. That’s gets you 250 million dollars.
Thanks to your god Obama, the national deficit is now well over $16 trillion. Your tax raise raise isn’t close to 1% of the national debt.
Well Fred… the Bush tax breaks will not be renewed for those making over $250,000 per year and also I would be for increasing the tax rate for these people. This will go a long way toward reducing the deficit.
TRF, I know Einstein couldn’t tie his shoes until we was 9, but he could do math. Using your own assumptions (which I don’t know if true) of 5 million millionaires paying an additional $50,000 in taxes would result in 250 BILLION dollars.
@Anon-you are correct and that is really a lot of zero’s any way you count them but still doesn’t add up to very much when compared to the national debt. I guess if you combined it with closing loopholes and reducing costs you might get somewhere.
Watch out middle class we are in for a rough 4 year ride!