Fiscal Cliff
The Daily Banter Mail Bag! The Fiscal Cliff Deal! Current TV! Biden and the NRA!
Welcome to this week's edition of The Daily Banter Mailbag! Today, Bob, Ben and Chez discuss the Fiscal Cliff Deal, Current TV sold to Al Jazeera, and the NRA is really pissed off. The questions: 1) Neither political party is happy with the deal that was cut regarding the ...read more
The Republican Outreach Effort is Going Great!
For several weeks following Election Day, the Republican Party decided it was time to evolve (irony intended) and to reach out to various demographic groups as a means of reinvigorating the future of the party. As we've discussed, the Republicans have become increasingly ...read more
The Daily Banter Mail Bag! John Boehner's Future, Republican Outreach and Resolutions for 2013!
Welcome to this week's edition of The Daily Banter Mailbag! Today, Bob, Ben and Chez discuss John Boehner's political future, the tone-deaf Republicans and resolutions for 2013! The questions: 1) I hope this one gets in in time to make the mailbag, but how the fuck did Boehner ...read more
In Spite of Reality, Liberals Claim Obama "Caved" on the Fiscal Cliff
For the first part of New Year's Day, I thought the far-left "Obama caved" crowd would take the prize for the most insane political faction of the day considering how, as soon as a deal was reached, they accused the president of capitulating to the Republicans, even though the ...read more
War Spending and the ‘Fiscal Cliff’
U.S. Marines leaving a compound at night in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. (Defense Department photo) By Coleen Rowley: As the final scene of Thelma and Louise seems to be playing out these last few days, it might be a good time to recall the dramatic end of that movie. It’s ...read more
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Finally! House Passes Senate Version of Fiscal Cliff Deal
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From The New York Times: Congress approved a plan to end Washington’s long drama over the “fiscal cliff” late Tuesday after House Republicans surrendered to President Obama’s demand to let taxes rise on the nation’s richest households. The ...read more
The Daily Banter Mail Bag! Another Recession, Terrible Pundits, and Our Predictions for 2013!
Welcome to this week's edition of The Daily Banter Mailbag! Today, Bob, Ben and Chez discuss the fiscal cliff, banning pundits and our predictions for 2013! The questions: 1) A lot of liberals are urging the president to just allow the fiscal cliff to happen, but wouldn’t that ...read more
The Daily Banter Mail Bag! The Fiscal Cliff! The NRA! And the End of the World!!!
Welcome to this week's edition of The Daily Banter Mailbag! Today, Bob, Ben and Chez discuss the fiscal cliff, the NRA and the end of the world! The questions: 1) What do you think of the theory that President Obama may be making concessions on the "fiscal cliff" deal because ...read more
Boehner to Pass Bush Tax Cut Extension in House, Dares Obama Not to Sign It
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From TPM: In response to President Obama’s extensive comments about the fiscal cliff at the White House Wednesday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner left himself little if any room to continue negotiations. Here’s the key piece of Boehner’s ...read more
Killing Medicare By Pretending to Save It
Here's precisely why raising the Medicare eligibility age appears to be the only solution to keeping the program solvent: the Republican Party, which hates Medicare and always has, and the compliant DC news media, which self-consciously dittos the Republicans so as to not appear ...read more
Republicans In 'Disarray' on Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From Reuters: President Barack Obama held his ground on the "fiscal cliff" on Tuesday, insisting on higher tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, while Republicans showed increasing disarray over how far they should go to compromise with ...read more
Boehner Counters Obama Budget Offer With Large Entitlement Cuts
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From Huff Post: House Speaker John Boehner says President Obama should drop his proposal to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts at the end of the year, and instead embrace a plan outlined by Erskine Bowles -- co-chair of the White ...read more
Obama Gets Tough on Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From Huff Post: With the tax-hiking proposal President Barack Obama sent to Congress on Thursday, it seems the president is finally heeding a lesson he learned in the first month of his first term. At a press conference in February 2009, ...read more
The Conservative Whiny Diaper Tantrum Continues
By Bob Cesca: We've all known a kid who upon losing a board game would freak out, hurl the game across the room and storm off while shouting something like, "This game sucks anyway!" The modern permutation of this unhinged sour grapes tantrum is to chuck a video game controller ...read more
Bill Kristol Urges Republicans to Raise Taxes on Millionaires
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From Huff Post: WASHINGTON -- Conservative commentator and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said Sunday the Republican Party should accept new ideas, including the much-criticized suggestion by Democrats that taxes be allowed to go up on the ...read more
"Unacceptable." Boehner Refuses to Raise Taxes
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From ABC News: Raising tax rates is "unacceptable" to House Speaker John Boehner as he prepares to open negotiations on the looming "fiscal cliff" with the president and congressional Democrats, he told "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer today in ...read more
Boehner Wants Compromise -- but No Tax Hikes
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From TPM: President Obama ran on raising taxes and won. House Republicans ran on not raising taxes, and got to keep their majority. So now the GOP is offering a familiar sounding compromise: let’s not raise taxes. More specifically, Obama’s ...read more