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Top adviser defends White House in IRS scandal

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

bbac1bf48cb619a3265144675a63865f Top adviser defends White House in IRS scandal

Story Highlights

Senior Dan Pfeiffer calls actions “outrageous and inexcusable”
Administration will work with Congress on “legitimate oversight”
plans a hearing Wednesday

(PhatzNewsRoom / USA Today) — President and his team are looking to move past last week’s parade of scandal stories, but it won’t be easy.

senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer hit the talk show circuit Sunday, but faced more questions about the than about the economy and national security, and Republicans made clear they won’t let the issue fade away.

Pfeiffer said the White House did not know about IRS targeting of until it was recently alerted about an on-going Inspector General investigation.

The IRS admitted May 10 that it had a separate process for reviewing applications for tax-exempt status submitted by groups with “Tea Party” and related terms in their names. In some cases it also sent intrusive and inappropriate questionnaires to those groups. The inspector general issued a report about the matter last week.

Calling IRS actions “outrageous and inexcusable,” Pfeiffer told ABC’s This Week that the administration would work with Congress on “legitimate oversight” — but “what we’re not going to participate in is partisan fishing expeditions designed to distract from the real issues at hand.”

Regardless of when the president first learned of the investigations, Pfeiffer said, the president wants to ensure such activities were not repeated. “It was stopped and it needs to be fixed to ensure it never happens again,” Pfeiffer said.

On ’s , Pfeiffer said Republicans are trying “to drag Washington into a swamp of partisan fishing expeditions, trumped-up hearings and .”

Republicans are gearing up for more congressional hearings, trying to find out if any high-ranking Obama administration or campaign officials knew about the targeting of conservative groups.

“This is just the beginning of this investigation,” said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Fox News Sunday.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told NBC that the recent allegations reflect a “culture of intimidation” within the Obama administration.

“What we’re talking about here is an attitude that the government knows best,” McConnell said. “And if we start criticizing, you get targeted.”

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing Tuesday featuring the first appearance by former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman since the scandal broke.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans a hearing Wednesday that is scheduled to include Shulman and Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS. Lerner is the official who first announced 10 days ago the targeting had taken place.

In his string of Sunday interviews, Pfeiffer noted that Obama has installed a new temporary director of the IRS, and authorized a 30-day review of agency operation. He told Fox that there will be “a top-down review of the IRS, and everything will be looked at.”

That’s not sufficient, said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on ABC’s This Week. “I think a special counsel is going to wind up being necessary,” he said.

As Obama tries to move past the scandal, his schedule this week includes a meeting with the president of Burma, a speech on counterterrorism and a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Senate passes package to avert fiscal cliff; House votes next

January 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

130101093219 ns payne us skirts fiscal cliff 00001025 story top Senate passes package to avert fiscal cliff; House votes next
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The measure now goes to the House where a vote could come Tuesday
A statement from House leadership made no promises
Under the Senate package, taxes would stay the same for most Americans
It leaves a range of big issues unaddressed.

() — A full two hours after a midnight deadline, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a deal Tuesday to avert the feared fiscal cliff on an 89-8 vote.

The Senate package would put off cuts for two months and preserve Bush-era income tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 or couples earning less than $450,000.

The measure now goes to the House where it faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled body.

“Glad it’s over,” said , D-Nevada, after the vote. “We’ll see if the Republicans in the House can become functional instead of dysfunctional.”
Sen. Reid: We’ve reached agreement
McConnell: ‘We’ve done some good’

A statement from House leadership made no promises.

“Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members — and the American people — have been able to review the ,” the statement said.

A vote could come as early as ’s Day. The House is scheduled to convene at noon.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, was hopeful the House will follow suit.

“The vote was 89 to 8. Bipartisan vote. 89 votes,” he said. “I think it sends a strong message and I think it will be approved by the House.”

What the package proposes

Read the bill (pdf)

Under the Senate package:

– Taxes would stay the same for most Americans. But it will rise for individuals making more than $400,000 and couples making more than $450,000. For them, it will go from the current 35% to the Clinton-era rate of 39.6%.

– Itemized deductions would be capped for those making $250,000 and for married couples making $300,000.

– Taxes on inherited estates will go up to 40% from 35%.

– Unemployment insurance would be extended for a year for 2 million people.

– The alternative minimum tax — a perennial issue — would be permanently adjusted for inflation.

– Child care, tuition and research and development tax credits would be renewed.

– The “Doc Fix” — reimbursements for doctors who take Medicare patients — will continue, but it won’t be paid for out of the Obama administration’s signature health care law.

– Prevents a spike in milk prices. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said milk prices would have doubled to $7 a gallon because a separate agriculture bill had expired.

What’s not addressed

While the package provides some short-term certainty, it leaves a range of big issues unaddressed.

It doesn’t mention the debt ceiling, and temporarily puts off for two months the so-called sequester — a series of automatic cuts in federal spending that would have taken effect Wednesday. It would have reduced the budgets of most agencies and programs by 8% to 10%.

This means that, come late February, will have to tackle both those thorny issues.

“We’re going to have to deal with the sequester, that’s true,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, “but look, this is better than nothing.”

Reid said the agreement was a win for average Americans.

“I’ve said all along that our most important priority was to protect the middle class families,” he said. “This legislation does that.”

And maybe a bit more.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income in 2011 was $50,054, which is well below the threshold approved by the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, praised the effort, but said it shouldn’t have taken so long to get an agreement.

“We don’t think taxes should be going up on anyone but we all knew that if we did nothing they would be going up on everyone today,” he said. “We weren’t going to let that happen.”

All eyes on the House

As lawmakers left the chamber around 2 a.m., there was no sentiment of celebration, more a sense of relief that the vote was done.

One of the last members to leave was 88-year-old retiring Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka. He walked down the steps bent over his cane, assisted by an aide, but smiling.

Others rubbed their eyes from lack of sleep. It was the end to a very long, down-to-the wire day — and all eyes now turn to the House.

There’s a lot at stake.

If the House doesn’t act and the Bush administration’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire, broad will kick in as will $110 billion in automatic cuts to domestic and military spending.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has predicted the combined effect could dampen economic growth by 0.5%, possibly tipping the U.S. economy back into a recession and driving unemployment from its current 7.7% back over 9%.

President urged House members to pass the package “without delay.”

GOP sources said House members saw little practical difference in settling the issue Monday night versus Tuesday.

But if tax-averse House Republicans approve the bill on Tuesday — when taxes have technically gone up — they can argue they’ve voted for a tax cut to bring rates back down, even after just a few hours, GOP sources said. That could bring some more Republicans on board, one source said.

Read more: Why your paycheck is getting smaller, no matter what

Concerns persist

Read more: What if there’s no deal on fiscal cliff

The budget office noted in September that sequestration was designed during the 2011 standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling as “a mechanism to force Congress to act on further deficit reduction” — a kind of doomsday device that was never meant to be triggered. But Congress failed to substitute other cuts by the end of 2012, forcing the government to wield what the budget office called “a blunt and indiscriminate instrument.”

In its place, the Senate plan would use $12 billion in new tax revenue to replace half the expected deficit reduction from the sequester and leave another $12 billion in spending cuts, split half-and-half between defense and domestic programs.

Despite the progress, the White House cautioned that deficit reduction still requires more work.

“But tonight’s agreement ensures that, going forward, we will continue to reduce the deficit through a combination of new spending cuts and new revenues from the wealthiest Americans,” Obama said.

Read more: Medicare patients may suffer if country goes over fiscal cliff

Conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist, whose Americans for Tax Reform pushes candidates to sign a pledge never to raise taxes, said the plan “right now, as explained” would preserve most of the Bush tax cuts and wouldn’t violate his group’s pledge.

“Take the 84% of your winnings off the table,” Norquist told CNN. “We spent 12 years getting the Democrats to cede those tax cuts to the American people. Take them off the table. Then we go back and argue about making the tax cuts permanent for everyone.”

But Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary in the Clinton administration, said the $450,000 threshold “means the lion’s share of the burden of deficit reduction falls on the middle class, either in terms of higher taxes down the road or fewer government services.” In addition, he said, the plan does nothing to raise the federal debt ceiling just as the federal government bumps up against its borrowing limit.

And that, Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain told CNN, is likely to be “a whole new field of battle.”

“We just added 2.1 trillion in the last increase in the debt ceiling, and spending continues to go up,” McCain said. “I think there’s going to be a pretty big showdown the next time around when we go to the debt limit.”

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Obama will return Wednesday to D.C. to tackle fiscal cliff

December 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

121221112647 bts obama fiscal cliff statement 00022803 story top Obama will return Wednesday to D.C. to tackle fiscal cliff
Averting the fiscal cliff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: leaving Hawaii on Wednesday, will be at the White House on Thursday
Members of Congress expected to return on Thursday
Observers will watch for Senate to take action after House vote fizzled last week
Obama, Republicans don’t agree on how to prevent automatic tax increases

(CNN) — President is ending his Hawaiian vacation Wednesday to make a late-hour bid to reach a fiscal-cliff deal before the year ends.

He will leave Honolulu Wednesday night and should be back in Washington on Thursday, the White House said. First lady and their daughters will remain in Hawaii.

House and Senate members are expected to reconvene Thursday.

Obama and Republicans have been at loggerheads over how to prevent automatic tax increases for everyone and deep spending cuts that will be triggered in the new year without an agreement.

With neither side showing any sign of blinking, the battlefield will probably shift to the Senate this week after GOP disarray in the House stymied any progress before Christmas.

According to multiple Democratic and , no weekend conversations occurred between the White House and from either party or their .

The main dispute continues to be over taxes, specifically the demand by Obama and Democrats to extend most of the tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush while allowing higher rates of the 1990s to return on top income brackets.

Republicans oppose any kind of increase in , and House Speaker suffered the political indignity last week of offering a that his colleagues refused to support.

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Obama, Boehner remain at odds on verge of fiscal cliff

December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

121220123746 bash take deal 00011403 story top Obama, Boehner remain at odds on verge of fiscal cliff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

threatens to veto Boehner’s “plan B”
President suggests Republicans are fixated on besting him personally
Speaker Boehner says the House will pass his fallback tax plan Thursday
Without a deal, everyone’s taxes go up in the new year

Washington (CNN) — After progress earlier this week in fiscal cliff negotiations, President and John Boehner butted heads Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown as the deadline looms for an agreement.

The negotiations had focused on a $2 trillion package of new revenue, spending cuts and entitlement changes the two sides have shaped into a broad deficit reduction plan.

Boehner on Tuesday proposed a “plan B,” which would extend Bush-era tax cuts on income of up to $1 million. He described it as a fallback option to prevent a sweeping tax hike while negotiations continue on a broader plan.

But the White House on Wednesday threatened to veto “plan B,” saying it would bring only “minimal” changes in projected deficits.

Obama told reporters earlier in the day that Republicans were focused too much on besting him personally rather than thinking about what’s best for the country.

“Take the deal,” Obama said to Republicans, referring to the broader proposal, adding that it would “reduce the deficit more than any other deficit reduction package” and would represent an achievement.

“They should be proud of it,” Obama said. “But they keep on finding ways to say ‘no’ as opposed to finding ways to say ‘yes.’ ”

His comments at a White House came less than two weeks before the end of the year, when the nation’s taxpayers would face automatic and deep spending cuts if no agreement is reached.

say that failure to reach agreement could spark another recession.

Boehner issued his own statement Wednesday, saying the president had yet to make a proposal offering a balance between increased revenue and spending cuts.

In a 52-second appearance before reporters, Boehner said the House will pass his fallback plan Thursday limiting tax increases to income above $1 million.

While the plan represents a concession from Boehner’s original vow to oppose any tax-rate increase, it sets a higher threshold than the $400,000 sought by Obama.

Once the House passes his plan, the president can either persuade Senate Democrats to accept it or “be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history,” Boehner said before walking off without answering shouted questions.

The Obama administration and congressional Democrats said Boehner changed course because he was unable to muster Republican support for the larger deal being negotiated with Obama.

At his news conference, Obama alluded to last Friday’s Connecticut school shootings in calling on Republicans to put aside political brinksmanship. “If there’s one thing we should have after this week, it should be perspective about what’s important,” he said.

“Right now, what the country needs is for us to compromise,” he continued. He characterized as “puzzling” the GOP refusal to accept his compromise.

Asked why an agreement was proving so elusive after both sides had made concessions, Obama said it might be that “it is very hard for them to say ‘yes’ to me.”

“At some point they’ve got to take me out of it,” Obama said of Republicans, adding they should instead focus on “doing something good for the country.”

Boehner responded by arguing that Obama’s proposal was not evenly balanced, with more new revenue instead of the spending cuts and entitlement reforms Republicans seek.

The Boehner plan B would leave intact government spending cuts, including those related to defense, which are required under a budget deal reached last year to raise the federal debt ceiling. The threat of cuts was intended to motivate Congress to reach a deal.

But Obama said Wednesday that Boehner’s proposal “defies logic” because it raises tax rates on some Americans, which Republicans say they do not want, and contains no spending cuts, which Republicans say they do want.

He also criticized the measure as a benefit for wealthy Americans, who would have lower tax rates on income up to $1 million.

The White House and congressional Democrats say plan B has no chance of passing; Obama said that bringing it up only wastes time.

Senior administration officials said Obama and Boehner have not spoken to each other since Monday. GOP leaders planned to vote Thursday on Boehner’s proposal, as well as Obama’s long-standing proposal to return to higher tax rates of the 1990s on income above $250,000 for families.

Obama on Monday raised the threshold for the higher tax rates to $400,000.

Conservative allies publicly supported Boehner’s plan Wednesday.

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist provided political cover for Republicans who have signed his pledge against tax increases, saying he could support plan B.

Obama and Democrats argue that increased revenue, including higher tax rates on the wealthy, must be part of broader deficit reduction plan.

Obama made the tax proposal a theme of his re-election campaign, arguing that it would prevent a tax increase for middle-class Americans.

Polls show support for the Obama plan, and some Republicans have called for acceding to the president on the tax issue in order to focus on cuts to spending and entitlement programs.

Boehner and Republicans initially opposed any rise in tax rates but agreed to raising revenue by eliminating some deductions and loopholes. The offer of a plan with higher rates for millionaires represented a further concession, but Obama and Democrats say it would not suffice.

Senate Majority Leader of Nevada said Boehner’s plan appeared to be a result of pressure from tea party conservatives opposing a wider deal.

“It would be a shame if Republicans abandoned productive negotiations due to pressure from the tea party, as they have time and again,” Reid said this week.

Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, shot back that the plan B proposal gave Democrats what they wanted — higher tax rates on millionaires.

Obama’s latest offer has generated protests from the liberal base of the Democratic Party because it includes cuts in entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Justin Ruben, executive director of MoveOn, which backed Obama’s presidential campaigns, said its members would consider any benefit cuts “a betrayal that sells out working and middle-class families.”

In particular, liberals cited concessions that Obama made Monday in his counteroffer, including a new inflation formula applied to benefits called chained CPI.

Chained CPI includes assumptions on consumer habits in response to rising prices, such as seeking cheaper alternatives, and would result in smaller benefit increases in future years.

Statistics supplied by opponents say the change would mean Social Security recipients would get $6,000 less in benefits over the first 15 years of chained CPI.

But White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama’s CPI proposal “would protect vulnerable communities, including the very elderly, when it comes to Social Security recipients.” He called the president’s acceptance of the chained CPI a signal of his willingness to compromise.

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Obama to backers: Call Congress on fiscal cliff

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Obama to backers: Call Congress on fiscal cliff

(PhatzNewsRoom / USA Today) — President ’s campaign is setting up a new phone bank.

In an Monday to supporters, Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter urged in Republican congressional districts to call their lawmakers on behalf of Obama’s plan to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

Cutter advised supporters to stress that, without a deal, from the George W. Bush era will expire, and everyone’s taxes will go up.

“Who will decide if your taxes increase in just 22 days?” Cutter wrote. “A few dozen members of the House of Representatives, that’s who.”

It’s the latest effort to maintain the grassroots organization fueled Obama’s re-election win, in the hopes that it can help push his legislative agenda.

Also wrote Cutter:

“We know we can affect change in Washington when we raise our voices together. So pick up the phone and make a few calls. Republicans in the House need to hear from their .”

HOOKSET, N.H. (AP) — Fear and frustration course through the lunch crowd at Robie’s Country Store and Deli, a popular outpost 500 miles from where Washington is again locked in tense negotiations over taxes and spending as a critical deadline looms.

“I’m worried,” Lorraine Cadren of nearby Manchester says between bites of her chicken sandwich. Her doubt in the nation’s elected leaders is palpable: “I’m not sure what’s going to come out of Washington next.” Not that she has the time to pay much attention; the 64-year-old is unemployed and preoccupied with finding a new job as Christmas approaches.

A few tables away, John Pfeifle shares Cadren’s angst while trying to enjoy his $6.99 chicken parmesan special.

“Somebody’s gotta have some smarts,” says the 63-year-old business owner, complaining that both President and House Republicans seem willing to allow the nation to go over the “fiscal cliff,” triggering broad and massive spending cuts that warn could lead to another .

“I have no faith at all they’ll do the right thing,” Pfeifle said of Congress.

And why would these voters have confidence in Washington?

The scene playing out on Capitol Hill is a familiar one as lawmakers with competing ideologies wage an 11th-hour battle to avert a predictable crisis. This one comes just a year after an equally divided Washington nearly let the country default on its loan obligations — a debt-ceiling debate that contributed to the electorate’s deep lack of faith in their elected leaders and a drop in the nation’s credit rating.

Evidence of Congress’ plummeting popularity is everywhere.

From New Hampshire diners to Colorado coffee shops, weary residents report widespread concern. They relate the debate in Washington over their tax dollars with their own lives: average Americans who are struggling every day to make ends meet. And already distracted by the holidays and tired of politics after a bitter presidential campaign, they are calling on Washington to get its act together.

“It’s pathetic. Nobody’s doing their job,” said Laura Hager, a retiree from Lancaster, Pa. “The rest of the country is being held hostage to this entire situation.”

She said the uncertainty makes it difficult to shape a personal financial plan; she can’t imagine what business leaders must be going through. “Nobody can plan. Nobody knows what they’ll do,” she said.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., warned that the public’s disgust with Congress would reach new heights if lawmakers and the fail to reach an accord before the year-end deadline.

“Ninety percent disapproval rating is going to go up to 99 percent disapproval,” the senator said at a panel discussion last week in Washington on the fiscal cliff’s impact on businesses.

Warner overstated Congress’ unpopularity, although not by much.

A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that 74 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job; just 23 percent approve. The figures are virtually unchanged from June and slightly above Congress’ recent low point of 12 percent approval during the debt ceiling debate in August 2011.

Some voters are trying to ignore the debate altogether, although near-constant news coverage is making that difficult, especially as Obama and his Republican opponents work to rally their supporters.

In a campaign-style event Monday in Michigan, the heart of industrial America, Obama warned that he “won’t compromise” on his demand that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. Polls find that most voters agree with the president’s deficit-cutting plan to raise tax rates on income over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples, although House Republicans are reluctant to agree.

The conservative group Crossroads GPS is running television ads across the country describing Obama’s solution as “a huge tax increase” with “no real spending reforms.” ”Call President Obama and tell him it’s time to show us a balanced plan,” the ad says.

Most voters interviewed in recent days are calling for an immediate compromise and seem willing to raise taxes on the wealthy so long as the middle class is protected.

There is a vague sense that the “fiscal cliff” is more serious than other recent Capitol Hill clashes. But barely a month after the presidential contest ended, most people say they’re not following the daily developments that consume Washington.

In a Denver coffee shop, interior designer Roxann Lloyd, 42, is mystified by the sound and fury out of Washington over the cliff.

“I don’t think they have any idea what a big deal is to an average person,” she said. “I’m just ignoring it.”

Lloyd said she isn’t surprised by the partisan bickering over the issue. “I don’t feel like they are really looking out for us,” she said of Congress.

John Baker, 65, a Denver psychologist, said he had little faith in Congress’ ability to fix the problem: “I don’t think Congress can fix a flat tire.”

“It’s a typical Washington, ‘Let’s hit the panic button and keep people scared so they will let us do what we want to do,’” Baker said in a downtown Denver Starbucks. “Ultimately, it will be fixed but not until a lot of pockets are lined.”

It’s unclear whether members of Congress are hearing the message.

Rep. Charlie Bass, a New Hampshire Republican who lost his re-election bid last month, says it’s unclear whether his GOP colleagues will “face the reality that the president, at least at this point, is not going to accept anything other than a tax rate increase.”

A stalemate would result in “painful uncertainty,” Bass said, offering his caucus a bit of advice: “We best get on with it — get it done.”

Back at Robie’s, store owner Debbie Chouinard says she’s burned out from election season and “tired of all the bull.”

“I honestly haven’t been paying attention,” she said while feeding her 2-year-old granddaughter lunch during a brief lull. “People should be working together to get this country going.”

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Of party lines and love…

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

23f413c080c81ebfe2e1c19eeab60d68 Of party lines and love…

( News / Match.com) — Think the sparring between the candidates is tense? Imagine if you were arguing the issues with someone you were dating!

“The biggest challenge in that situation is the difference in values and what that means for your future,” says Erica Sheksley, a liberal political who dated and lived with a Republican/Libertarian. “We would disagree about what a marriage should mean, for example, or on how we wanted to live our lives, raise our children or even whether or not you should give money to a homeless person on the street. Ultimately that can start to wear down on you — constantly having to fight over things that you believe at your core.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way. ’s union is high-profile proof that folks of different political stripes can get along… and even get married. And Match.com research indicates that almost two-thirds (63 percent) of singles surveyed during earlier elections said they’d talk about politics on a . (Democrats were more likely than to say this.) Just over half (57 percent) of those would go so far as to marry someone with dramatically different political leanings.

How can you keep yourself in the running if your date has different views on candidates and issues? Read on for a few helpful tips.

Don’t expect change. “The biggest mistake that daters of different parties can make is to believe that their partner will change his or her political views to accommodate them,” says David Johnson, CEO of in Atlanta, GA. “Do not enter the relationship expecting to persuade your partner to change his or her . Learn to respectfully disagree.”

Look for . Instead of focusing on what you don’t agree on, dig deeper to find the larger issues where you do agree. “One person may believe that welfare is wrong and one person may believe welfare is right, but ultimately, you may both believe that people need help somehow to get out of poverty,” Sheksley says. “Make sure you have enough shared values to make it work. You need to be able to separate the differences in your political views on policy from your core values.”

Agree to disagree. “Disagree with the politics, not with the date,” suggests Leslie Ungar, founder of Electric Impulse Communications, Inc., an Akron, OH-based firm that provides communications coaching to executives and other professionals. This approach isn’t for the faint of heart, however. “It requires constant and consistent affirmation of the date and the relationship’s potential before going in for each kill,” she says, laughing. “Although I am a communications expert, I once resorted during a first dinner date to threatening to stab my date with my fork if he repeated his stance one more time.”

Keep it to yourself. “I fell for Sue before I knew her party preference,” says Jack Hardy, a dyed-in-the-wool Republican from Newport, RI. “There was so much about her that I appreciated and respected that we just agreed not to discuss politics much. It’s been challenging during the campaign, but we gently remind each other when one of us starts to stray into those waters… and that keeps it smooth sailing.”

Though these approaches are definitely doable, each requires a high level of self-awareness, discipline and a strong desire to make the relationship work. “If you’re really passionate about your politics, it’s going to be tough, but love does conquer all — even partisan politics,” Hardy laughs.

Margot Carmichael Lester, a freelance writer living in a blue precinct in a red state, also writes for Go, My Midwest and The Los Angeles Business Journal.

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Boehner opposes Senate payroll tax cut bill

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

5508f416b5a65efb4ba95fa737b06174 Boehner opposes Senate payroll tax cut bill

( News / ) — That payroll tax cut extension deal may be unraveling.

House Speaker , R-Ohio, said this morning that he and other House oppose the to extend the payroll tax cut for only two months, saying that is “just kicking the can down the road.”

“How can you do tax policy for two months?” Boehner said on ’s . “It’s time to just stop, do our work, resolve the differences, and extend this for one year.”

The House is scheduled to vote Monday on the Senate plan.

Boehner said House Republicans want to extend the payroll tax cut for a year, to be financed with cuts in the existing budget.

As we’ve reported, President has signaled he is willing to sign the Senate plan for a two-month extension — but if the House votes no, there won’t be a bill to sign.

In the meantime, the tax cut extension that Obama and the Republicans agreed to last year expires at the end of the month — meaning higher for nearly 160 million Americans.

During brief remarks Saturday at the White House, Obama said: “ should not go home for vacation until it finds a way to avoid hitting 160 million Americans with a on January 1st.”

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Obama: Taxes will rise if Congress doesn’t act

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

9012d689f3c52101a014d93c2be8b8ac Obama: Taxes will rise if Congress doesnt act

(Phatforums News / USA Today) — While Republicans bash President for proposing higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for his jobs bill, pointed out yesterday that everyone’s taxes will rise if doesn’t take certain action by the end of the year.

That’s because the cut that Obama and Congress agreed to last year will expire.

“On Jan. 1, if nothing is done, everybody here is going to get a ,” Obama said to yesterday in Mesquite, Texas (near Dallas).

Extending the payroll tax cut is part of Obama’s $447 billion jobs plan, to help attract Republican votes.

“If the American Jobs Act passes, the typical working family in Texas will have an extra $1,400 in their pockets,” Obama said. “Now, if the bill doesn’t pass, virtually every worker in America will see their taxes go up — at the worst possible time.”

, R-Ohio, and other Republicans say the payroll tax is a potential area of compromise.

In a sense, this is a of last year’s debate over the pending expiration of the George W. .

Obama wanted to extend those cuts for the middle class, but eliminate them for individuals making more than $200,000 a year, and making more than $250,000 annually.

Republicans said no one’s taxes should be raised in a recession.

Faced with the prospect of seeing everyone’s taxes go up after expiration, Obama and the Republicans agreed to a two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts, which now expire at the end of 2012.

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Obama: Americans not better off than four years ago

October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

704878ac20816f260126cf8ae088b916 Obama: Americans not better off than four years ago

(Phatforums News / ) — Well, Republicans have a convenient sound bite for next year’s election against President .

The president said yesterday that the American people are not better off than they were four years ago — the test famously used to defeat incumbent in the 1980 .

Obama, however, said the reason is the that happened before he took office.

“They’re not better off than they were before Lehman collapsed, before the , before this extraordinary that we’re going through,” Obama said.

The president added that “we’ve been able to make to stabilize the economy,” but he added that “the unemployment rate is still way too high” — and that’s why he regards himself as the in the 2012 race.

“I’m used to being an underdog,” Obama said. “I think that, at the end of the day, though, what people are going to say is, who’s got a vision for the future that can actually help ordinary families recapture that American Dream?”

The and other conservative groups quickly distributed Obama’s statement that Americans aren’t better off than they were four years ago.

Of course, the election is still 13 months away — who knows how better off Americans will be a year from now?

The comment came in an exchange between Obama and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, who cited “a lot of anger” out in the country:

STEPHANOPOULOS: There are so many people who simply don’t think they’re better off than they were four years ago. How do you convince them that they are?

OBAMA: Well, I don’t think they’re better off than they were four years ago. They’re not better off than they were before Lehman collapsed, before the financial crisis, before this extraordinary recession that we’re going through.

I think that what we’ve seen is that we’ve been able to make steady progress to stabilize the economy, but the unemployment rate is still way too high. And that’s why it’s so critical for us to make sure that we are taking every action we can take to put people back to work.

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Obama struggling in North Carolina

September 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

163f31a471937d4401904dfd3b73f486 Obama struggling in North Carolina

(Phatforums News / ) – As President talks about his jobs bill today in North Carolina, he’ll be in one of the most watched states of the 2012 election.

Since in 1976, Democrats had high hopes for carrying the Tar Heel State in a — but none did until Obama in 2008.

Holding it may be essential to Obama’s chance at re-election in 2012 — but, as in many places, Obama is currently struggling politically in North Carolina.

Polling, a North Carolina-based firm, reports that Obana’s approval rating in North Carolina has hit a low of 43%.

Obama’s got two big problems” in North Carolina, says the . “ and a loss of support with his party base.”

The president seeks to bring up those numbers with his visit today to a small business near Raleigh, and a jobs speech at North Carolina State University.

political problems aren’t confined to North Carolina. As our Catalina Camia points out in the OnPolitics blog, the Democrats lost a special election for a long-held House seat based in New York City, and many voters said they wanted to send a message to Obama about the bad economy.

Team Obama is deadly serious about holding North Carolina — the president’s re-nominating convention will be held in Charlotte.

But it probably won’t be any easier than it was three years ago — Obama beat John McCain by less than 15,000 votes out of nearly 2.3 million cast.

Despite the low ratings, Obama does have some good news in the state — he is polling well against potential Republican challengers Rick Perry and , says Public Policy Polling:

“He’s tied with Perry at 46% and holds the smallest of advantages over Romney at 45-44.

Those numbers aren’t as rosy for Obama as they appear to be though. Only 5% of the undecideds in the Perry match up approve of him to 83% who disapprove and on the generic legislative ball ot they support by a 57-21 margin.

It’s a similar story in the match up with Romney. The undecideds there disapprove of Obama by a 10/81 spread and support a generic Republican 62-14. When those folks come off the fence they’re going to be voting GOP which means if the election was today Obama would lose the state.”

The bottom line from Public Policy Polling:

“Obama will still have a good chance at winning North Carolina if he sees a little improvement in his popularity. But his prospects look drearier today than they have at any other point in 2011.”

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