Schumer: We Want Our Tax Hike!
Despite glimpses of compromise from Republicans like Senator Bob Corker (see below), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wasn’t willing to offer any concessions from his side of the negotiating table to avoid the fiscal cliff. “We Democrats realize that there have to be two sides to this bargain,” Schumer said, but didn’t give host Chris Wallace any specifics about where Democrats would be willing to cut entitlements or social programs. In fact, Schumer said, Democrats won’t negotiate on cuts until Speaker Boehner agrees to the tax hike. “That would be negotiating against ourselves,” he said.
GOP Senator: A Tax Hike Could Work
Is Democrats’ hardball paying off? On Fox News Sunday, Senator Bob Corker (Tenn.) joined a slowly growing list of Republicans open to including a tax hike in the government’s deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. “A lot of people are putting forth a theory—and I actually think it has merit—where you go and you give the president the two percent increase that he’s talking about, the rate increase on the top two percent, and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements,” Corker said. “I actually am beginning to believe that is the best route for us to take,” he continued, “to again shift the focus to where it needs to be, which is entitlements.”
Will Booker Take on Christie for Governor?
You know him as Newark’s ”super mayor,” but Cory Booker might soon become a super governor or a super senator. On Face the Nation, Booker candidly told Bob Schieffer that he is contemplating a run against Chris Christie for governor in 2013, but is also considering a senate bid in 2014. The deciding factor, Booker said, is “where do I believe I can make the best difference for the city I love, for the state I love and the nation I pledge my life to.” He expects to make his decision within the next two weeks.
Will: Gay Marriage Opposition ‘Literally’ Dying
“Quite literally,” powerhouse pundit George Will proclaimed on This Week, “the opposition to gay marriage is dying.” But with the Supreme Court set to rule on two major same-sex marriage cases this year, the old fogies might have the last laugh.
O’Donnell Demands Gingrich Apologize For 20-Year-Old Remark
Let’s go back to the nineties! Except, instead of listening to “I Saw The Sign” and wearing stonewash denim, let’s discuss what then-Speaker Newt Gingrich said about then-President Bill Clinton’s proposed tax hike! Because that’s what Lawrence O’donnell on Meet the Press, when he unexpectedly called out Gingrich for saying, in 1993, that tax increases “kill jobs and lead to a recession.” “Those of us who were working on the other side of that tax increase, Newt, have been waiting for your apology for 20 years for being completely wrong about that,” said O’Donnell, who was chief of staff to the Senate Finance Committee at the time. Gold star to whoever goes to the next nineties-themed party dressed as Gingrich or O’Donnell.
Lagarde: U.S. Needs ‘Balanced Solution’ to Fiscal Cliff
The head of the International Monetary Fund told Candy Crowley on State of the Union that American politicians should come up with a “balanced solution” to the fiscal cliff crisis, compromising on a deal that includes both increased revenue and spending cuts. And it’s crucial that they get a deal done, Lagarde said, because without one, American economic growth would fall to “zero.”
Brennan: Costas In Bounds With Commentary
On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz asked his guests whether NBC’s Bob Costas “stepped out of bounds” with his controversial Sunday Night Football commentary about gun control. Christine Brennan, a sports columnist at U.S.A. Today, said no. Brennan argued that the term “commentary” should have appeared on screen as Costas discussed the dangers of gun ownership in America, but that he was ultimately right to bring up the issue. “Sports is now a reflection of our society much more than it is the escape,” Brennan said.