STUCK

Boehner: We’re at Fiscal Cliff ‘Stalemate’

As Obama calls GOP deal “lump of coal.”

At least the two sides can agree on not mincing words. "Let's not kid ourselves, we've reached a stalemate," Speaker of the House John Boehner said Friday, filling us all in on just how poorly budget-deal negotiations seem to be progressing. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania Friday, President Obama told a crowd at a Tinkertoy factory that the Republicans' tax plan "is sort of like the lump of coal you get for Christmas.” Republicans rejected an offer Obama made Thursday, which reportedly asked for a $1.6 trillion tax increase, a $50 billion stimulus program, and new executive power to raise the federal debt limit without congressional approval. Republicans have called for more spending cuts.