Obama cuts vacation short as 'fiscal cliff' looms
HONOLULU (AP) - With a yearend deadline looming before the economy goes over the so-called fiscal cliff, President Barack Obama is cutting short his traditional Christmas holiday in Hawaii, planning to leave for Washington on Wednesday evening.
Obama was expected to arrive in Washington early Thursday, the White House said late Tuesday. First lady Michelle Obama and the couple's two daughters are scheduled to remain in Hawaii until Jan. 6.
In the past, the president's end-of-the-year holiday in his native state had stretched into the new year. The first family left Washington last Friday night.
Congress was expected to return to Washington on Thursday. Before he departed for Hawaii, Obama told reporters he expected to be back in the capital this week.
Without action by Obama and Congress, automatic budget cuts and tax increases are set to begin in January, which many economists say could send the country back into recession. So far, the president and congressional Republicans have been unable to reach agreement on any alternatives.
Lawmakers have expressed little but pessimism for the prospect of an agreement coming before Jan. 1. On Sunday, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she expects any action in the waning days of the year to be "a patch because in four days we can't solve everything."
With the collapse last week of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes, lawmakers were increasingly worried that no deal can be reached.
They were already preparing their arguments about who is to blame if the new year comes without an agreement.
Obama already has scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain. Before leaving the capital on Friday, he called for a limited measure that extends George W. Bush-era tax cuts for most people and staves off federal spending cuts.
The Obamas were spending the holiday at a rented home near Honolulu. On Christmas Day, the president and first lady visited with members of the military to express thanks for their service.
"One of my favorite things is always coming to base on Christmas Day just to meet you and say 'thank you,'" the president said at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Anderson Hall. He said that being commander in chief was his greatest honor as president.
Obama took photos with individual service members and their families.
On Christmas Eve, Obama called members of the military to thank them for serving the nation, then joined his family for dinner, the White House said. The Obamas opened gifts Christmas morning, ate breakfast and sang carols.
Friends were joining the Obamas for Christmas dinner Tuesday night, the White House said.
Obama was expected to arrive in Washington early Thursday, the White House said late Tuesday. First lady Michelle Obama and the couple's two daughters are scheduled to remain in Hawaii until Jan. 6.
In the past, the president's end-of-the-year holiday in his native state had stretched into the new year. The first family left Washington last Friday night.
Congress was expected to return to Washington on Thursday. Before he departed for Hawaii, Obama told reporters he expected to be back in the capital this week.
Without action by Obama and Congress, automatic budget cuts and tax increases are set to begin in January, which many economists say could send the country back into recession. So far, the president and congressional Republicans have been unable to reach agreement on any alternatives.
Lawmakers have expressed little but pessimism for the prospect of an agreement coming before Jan. 1. On Sunday, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she expects any action in the waning days of the year to be "a patch because in four days we can't solve everything."
With the collapse last week of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes, lawmakers were increasingly worried that no deal can be reached.
They were already preparing their arguments about who is to blame if the new year comes without an agreement.
Obama already has scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain. Before leaving the capital on Friday, he called for a limited measure that extends George W. Bush-era tax cuts for most people and staves off federal spending cuts.
The Obamas were spending the holiday at a rented home near Honolulu. On Christmas Day, the president and first lady visited with members of the military to express thanks for their service.
"One of my favorite things is always coming to base on Christmas Day just to meet you and say 'thank you,'" the president said at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Anderson Hall. He said that being commander in chief was his greatest honor as president.
Obama took photos with individual service members and their families.
On Christmas Eve, Obama called members of the military to thank them for serving the nation, then joined his family for dinner, the White House said. The Obamas opened gifts Christmas morning, ate breakfast and sang carols.
Friends were joining the Obamas for Christmas dinner Tuesday night, the White House said.
How can anyone honestly take this guy seriously after nearly four years, he's yet to produce a budget that his own party will even vote for? Unemployment [will] get worse. Another recession [will] begin soon. We are going to crash, it won't be pretty, and it will be Obama's fault. Obama doesn't deserve all the blame though, 50 million voters share the responsibility. Thanks.
Michelle thinks he is all that! I think he is full of shi#
 @Pointblank She knows a sugar daddy when she sees it. If he went to prison or anything else her and the kids would be gone. You are right though, he is full of shiat.. I'm sure even he knows it but the 50 millions drones that voted for him, not to mention the media, continue believing his lies so there isn't much hope in anything really changing.
@Pointblank I think you are full of shi#. If you don't like the President vote for someone else. If you lose shu#up.
Anything obama does between now and the end of his second term will only be to establish his legacy, not to lead the country. Â He wants to be remembered as a special one of a kind president and he is well on his way to that goal. Â I don't see where being unliked by almost fifty percent of the people in this country and even more than that world wide, is any legacy to be proud of.
'Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she expects any action in the waning days of the year to be "a patch because in four days we can't solve everything."'
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ROFLMAO!!!
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Sen Bailey, the established norm of our federal government is that you cannot 'solve anything' in several terms in office. Decades of representative government does little to 'solve anything', unless it happens to either be an partisan, or knee-jerk PR laiden topic. Or, if it is in some way connected to skads of 'free speech' being donated in order to 'gain access to' one of your fellow chair occupiers.Â
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I suppose, in that respect, I can appreciate your honesty and candor.
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Now, why don't you and your fellow legicritters go back on your hard earned 'holiday vacations'. At least closing the physical building in Washington, DC actually does 'do something' in that it doesn't cost taxpayers to heat the place, or pay for electricity to keep the lights on.Â
Let's go over the cliff and get it over with. They'll then fix it within a month or two and nobody really gets hurt and both sides can claim victory. Yeh!!!
No big sacrifice, despite the headlines. This joker should have stayed on the job in the first place, considering what is at risk. He is just a narcissistic jerk, emboldened by his supposed "mandate" from the takers and government class.
He should have never went on vacation in the first place. Our lives are not important to this clown, proven time and time again. Go figure from a man who has never held a real job.Â
Hopefully the party of NO will stick to their campaign promises and vote NO on any new taxes.
@RalphCramden The thing is, that if there isn't a deal EVERYONE'S taxes will go up. Since the Bush tax cuts were designed to be temporary and will expire, taxes will return to the pre-cut levels. So, while the distinction is mostly semantic, we are talking about extending tax cuts rather than tax increases. As such, the Republican NO vote, can only create tax increases.
 @blotto  @RalphCramden And, the amusing part (if it really is amusing), if they fail to cut a deal, Obama gets what he wants; taxes rise, Medicare payments to doctors get cut giving Obama more money to divert to his chosen few in Obamacare, and (the icing on the cake for Obama), Obama, the media and democrats will blame it all on the republicans. We must ignore the fact that Obama trashcanned two or three republican proposals out of hand without even considering them. Obama didn't want a deal. He wanted a political opportunity.
 @Nobody  @blottoÂ
That is all very true.
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But the fiscal conservatives seem to be sticking to their campaign promises which I both support and applaud.
 @blotto Â
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They need to stick to their promises of NO new taxes for anyone and vote against any deal that changes the current tax rate. 0bama is going to try hard to increase taxes on the wealthy. If that happens the rich will more their money outside the US like the rich in the UK did.
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The UK lost billions when the rates went up for the rich. The new conservative government dropped the rates 6% and all of a sudden there were more rich folks in the UK. Amazing how that worked.
He should have never gone on vacation in the first place.  At least thats what a responsible POTUS would have done. But being on vacation seems to always take top priority with this clown. Should have joined the circus, but what do you expect from a man that has never held down a real job.Â
@MrAchilles What was he going to do without Congress being there as well?
 @JTesla  @MrAchillesÂ
Set the example.
 @Kachina    @JTesla  @MrAchillesÂ
Very true.
@RalphCramden @JTesla @MrAchilles That would require true leadership and dedication, of which he has neither.