McConnell laughs at Obama's fiscal cliff plan

[Mr. Morden]

Ideally, both sides would lay out their maximalist positions, and then they would negotiate the differences.  What anvi is arguing here is that Obama should be willing to negotiate the differences if the GOP negotiates as well.  But what people are complaining about right now is a different problem, which is the apparent reluctance of the GOP leadership to detail their maximalist position (because entitlement cuts are unpopular).  So how do you start negotiating before you're clear about what you're negotiating over?

To be clear though, while the GOP leadership doesn't seem to be spelling out specifics, some individual members are going rogue, and offering their own entitlement reform proposals:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sen-bob-corker-a-plan-to-dodge-the-fiscal-cliff/2012/11/25/0e237712-3586-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_story.html

As Jan. 1 gets closer, perhaps the GOP leadership will adopt elements of that plan as their own position?  I don't know.  I guess we'll find out.

[Mr. Morden]

Unless Obama makes an offer that is serious (the Pubs at least made a serious offer - 800 billion in more revenue in exchange for cuts in entitlements in some unspecified amount), the Pubs should just pass the middle class tax cut, and let the taxes rise for "the rich," and let sequestration kick in as well, and announce that they won't be raising the debt ceiling until there is a master deal, or substantial progress towards one, and the government should start planning now on slashing spending by 30% or whatever is required to cap the amount of the debt given the debt ceiling limit if Obama does not plan on getting serious.

According to Jonathan Karl's reporting, the House GOP looks set to do exactly that: Surrender to Obama on taxes by giving him the extension on tax cuts for the middle class only (but expressing their displeasure at doing so by voting "present"....ha ha!), while letting the spending cuts from the sequester go through, and coming back in January to reopen negotiations on that:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/12/republican-doomsday-plan-cave-on-taxes-vote-present/

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[Mr. Morden]

The Congressional GOP seems to be in total disarray over what to do about the Fiscal Cliff:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/us-usa-fiscal-idUSBRE8A80WV20121205