Make or Break Time for the Middle Class says Obama

[Gaspar]

Does Obama have the ability to line item veto this kind of bill?

No he does not.  He can send it back to the Senate at this point, or sign it.

At least they won't have to fly Bo back and forth any more for photo ops.

[Townsend]

This is indeed a great victory for the president. 

No kidding...

They accuse House Republicans of creating the very instability they have railed against, and of needlessly creating yet another congressional crisis at the end of a year filled with Capitol Hill showdowns.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee, strongly criticized the House GOP's stance on CNN's "American Morning" Thursday.

"The Republicans are losing this fight. We need to get back on track," McCain said. "A thousand dollars a year is a big amount of money to most Americans, and I think it's very important. ... I worry about the fact that we are continuing to increase the debt and the deficit, but now it's become very symbolic, and I think it has to be done."

The Wall Street Journal editorial blasted Boehner and his House GOP colleagues, arguing that they had "achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter."

"At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly," the paper's editorial writers said.

A Senate GOP leadership aide told CNN Wednesday that House Republicans had "painted themselves into a corner."

"This is a lose-lose situation for us. (House Republicans) let the Democrats get the messaging advantage and, more specifically, we've turned one of our key issues on its head," the aide said. "The Republicans look like they are the ones blocking tax relief."

"When you are arguing process, you are losing, by definition," the aide added. "We are arguing process while they've got politics on their side."

Despite mounting pressure on House Republicans to give in and pass the $33 billion Senate bill, a well-placed House GOP source indicated Wednesday that his side would not consider an end-game to the standoff until next week, just days before the December 31 deadline.

Numerous Senate Republicans have indicated they feel politically undercut by their House colleagues after agreeing to the two-month compromise negotiated by McConnell and Reid.

The House GOP caucus, however, revolted against that blueprint, calling it an inadequate patchwork plan. On Tuesday, the House voted 229-193 on a virtual party-line basis to express its disagreement with the Senate bill and call for the creation of a House-Senate conference committee to resolve the matter -- something previously ruled out by Reid.

The House also approved a separate resolution supporting a year-long extension of both the payroll tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits, along with a new, two-year doc fix.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the Senate has adjourned for the year. Most House members also left Washington after Tuesday's vote.

A number of Republicans have said the party should have declared victory after winning an agreement by Obama -- as part of the payroll tax cut package -- to make a decision within the next 60 days on whether to proceed with the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Republicans and some Democratic union leaders say the controversial pipeline will create thousands of new jobs; critics question its environmental impact.

A failure to act could have major political fallout. Numerous observers believe Obama is preparing to parrot Harry Truman's 1948 campaign next year by running against an unpopular, dysfunctional Congress controlled partly by the GOP.

CNN's Ted Barrett, Dana Bash, Kate Bolduan, Lisa Desjardins, Matt Hoye, Xuan Thai, Brianna Keilar and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

   

[Townsend]

No he does not.  He can send it back to the Senate at this point, or sign it.

Why not?

[Townsend]

Per CNN on the 17th:

The $33 billion deal, should it pass the House, also avoids cutting federal funds to physicians who accept Medicare and speeds up a decision over a pipeline, giving the White House 60 days to make a call on the controversial Keystone XL project.

So it means that the white house only has to consider the pipeline.  It's not in the bill.

[Conan71]

Watch this putt

[guido911]

The aftermath:

[Conan71]

At least he didn't flog the bishop.

[Townsend]

And the short bus candidate has spoken...

(CNN) - Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann said Thursday a plan to extend the payroll tax cut by only two months was a "temporary gimmick" that would do nothing to boost job creation.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/22/bachmann-calls-short-term-payroll-tax-extension-a-gimmick/

[Conan71]

She's not far off.  It's a vote buy on our backs, nothing more, nothing less.  When the media corps starts trotting out people explaining how that extra $40 means they can buy three days of heating oil, you know it's about the votes.

[Teatownclown]

The Media is calling the Weeper of the House "CAVEMAN" now.....oh, the irony.

[Gaspar]

The White House must make a decision based on EPA recommendations. The EPA already published their report, approving the construction. He has no wiggle room.

[Townsend]

She's not far off.  It's a vote buy on our backs, nothing more, nothing less.  When the media corps starts trotting out people explaining how that extra $40 means they can buy three days of heating oil, you know it's about the votes.

Oh I don't disagree that it's done to save their asses.  I'm just taking the opportunity to call her a short-bus.

[Townsend]

The White House must make a decision based on EPA recommendations. The EPA already published their report, approving the construction. He has no wiggle room.

Can you cite this?

[Townsend]

Diane Rehm just announced it passed the house.  On it's way to the whitehouse.

Some of the Republican reps tweeted last night they'd head back to DC to object since it takes a unanimous vote.  Boener's office said "today we've seen the difference between actual courage and twitter courage."

The hand just said "slap".

[Gaspar]

Can you cite this?

Not the EPA, the State Department Report. . .and anywhoo. . . The president just signed it into law.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-approves-keystone-pipeline-agreement-payroll-tax-holiday-194400363.html