Obama just finished a press statement in which he raised again the urgency of the year-end deadline.
Obama wants the tax rates extended just for those making $250k or less, and says since everyone agrees on that, pass it and we can talk about the other tax and fiscal issues later. That is a prescription for disaster, as the issues important to us (keeping taxes low and spending under control) will not be dealt with under this scenario.
Which brings me to my frustration that Republicans in Congress cannot see that they cannot get a good deal on this truncated timetable.
As long as Obama and the media can scream “fiscal cliff,” the urgency of the moment means that the serious spending and entitlement issues cannot be part of a package.
That same screaming, however, also will make it hard for Harry Reid to table or Obama to veto something which preserves the status quo on everything for 90 days (Plan C a/k/a The Christmas Plan), pending further negotiation of an acceptable, if unpalatable, Grand Bargain.
The only type of deal which will sell — without a complete and total sellout — will take more time. That’s a simple reality.
I wish I had a line to the Republican leadership in Congress. And I wish even more that they would listen.
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