WASHINGTON — When President Obama was locked in painful spending negotiations with House Republicans last spring, his exceedingly meticulous budget director, Jacob J. Lew, came to the Oval Office to propose some complex budget changes. As Lew delved deeper and deeper into the numbers, Obama put up his hand, signaling him to stop.
‘‘Jack, it’s fine,’’ the president said, according to Gene Sperling, Obama’s economics adviser, who witnessed the exchange. ‘‘I trust your values. I trust your judgment on this.’’
Comments
This article is a sloppy wet kiss to President Obama who is declared to be a "pragmatist"; he is declared to have "promised to bring both parties together". Obama is nothing of the sort. Each negotiation with him has been one sided, and each seems to lead us to a cliff. This is not pragmatic, it is not presidential, and it is not something for which the president deserves credit. We are still waiting to see the president's proposed spending cuts, that will form the "balanced" approach, when the tax increases are done. His side has already declared social security to be off the table-once again taking a dictatorial approach to bringing both parties together.
These are nothing but talking points from Fox News. Obama tried to reach out to Republicans, but their adamant refusal to negotiate, their desire to fail in order to try to make Obama a one-term President, are entirely responsible for the fiscal cliff. Now that the Norquist pledge seems to be ready to crumble, they might be willing to meet the President half way.
And Kate, your reply seems to have come from the MSNBC narrative. Nothing in my comment is untrue; Republicans HAVE made many propositions, including a budget passed in the house which reforms entitlements and removes tax loopholes (the "revenue" which the GOP has agreed to provide). The president has chosen martyrdom over bipartisanship, and will take us to anpther recession, if we go over the cliff, just to be able to blame Republicans. He is a disgraceful excuse for a chief executive.