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I might regret saying this, but I agree with Newt. The house needs to pass TWO deals. One, do what the PEOPLE want. Extend tax cuts, cut spending, eliminate loopholes. The other, give the democrats what they want. Make the democrats in the senate and the president pick. That puts the ENTIRE decision and success or failure squarely on the shoulders of the liberals. It's win-win. If they pick the liberal option, and we fly off the cliff, it's an easy "told you so" moment and hopefully republicans will have a banner year in 2014 and 2016. If they pick the liberal option and we don't fly off the cliff, then Republicans proposed the bill in the first place and showed they are willing to make deals, and the Democrats will need to cave on some things. If they pick the conservative option and we don't fly off the cliff, then the republicans were right all along, the democrats will have to eat crow, and hopefully Republicans take back the senate and the white house in 2016 to get back to prosperity the last time we had an all Republican government.

Obama wanted the tax cut for the rich to time out naturally, after the number of years the original cut was passed for. He's given that away, he's allowed that break to be extended for several years now. This time he's promised he's not going to compromise on that particular item. And he knows (and John Boehner knows) that SS and Medicare are greatly-loved programs, loved by Democrats and Republicans alike. So outside of those items, Obama is flexible. There's a lot to deal with.

Boehner, OTOH, has painted himself into a corner. He's got people so mad at Obama that if he makes any kind of deal with Obama, he's a traitor. Even Boehner he gets 90% of what he wants, just making the deal with Obama, agreeing with him, shaking his hand, will make Boehner look like he's totally given up, totally capitulated. The Republicans know that the president gets most of the credit for ANYTHING accomplished through bi-partisan cooperation, even if it's something the Republicans want. They want to destroy Obama more than they want whatever they made the bargain for.

So Boehner knows it's not in his self-interest to offer any kind of deal Obama might go for! So he's offering deals that he knows Obama won't go for. This allows him to pretend Obama isn't really interested in negotiations. And Fox News and Rush Limbaugh can train their dittoheads to repeat that here, over and over, as if they knew what they were talking about.

The word "faith" denotes allegiance to some entity and/or principle. In Obama's case, "faith" entails helping his supporters, who have not earned money, taking it from people who have. Obama has nothing to lose politically since he cannot run again, but he has much to gain in 2014. A Democrat control of Congress would enable him to unleash his hitherto hidden agenda for two whole years. Let it be understood that 2014 is what Obama is all about. America may be in flames, but they would be Obama's flames, and they would be just as satisfying to him as Rome's flames were to Nero.

Obama has caved to unfair gop deals in the past and that is in the past.

Just for the sake of saying so. No way. They have to pay more. They've taken all the money. Let them pay to stay in this country.

Why do you hate America!

-Because maybe YOUR faith- isn't "good" Enough ! :o