WASHINGTON — President Obama yesterday brushed aside a fiscal-cliff deal offered by House Speaker John Boehner, saying it was “not balanced” because it didn’t raise taxes on the wealthy.
“We’re going to have to see the rates on the top 2 percent go up, and we’re not going to be able to get a deal without it,” Obama declared on Bloomberg TV.
The latest impass underscored how far apart Obama and Republicans remain in negotiations to avert the fiscal cliff. If there is no deal by Jan. 1, it would trigger tax increases on most Americans and deep federal spending cuts.
“If the president really wants to avoid sending the economy over the fiscal cliff, he has done nothing to demonstrate it,” said Boehner (R-Ohio), adding that Obama’s plan can’t pass Congress.
Boehner’s deal included $800 billion in new tax revenue from nixing loopholes and deductions, not higher tax rates. Obama wants $1.6 trillion in higher tax rates on wealthy Americans’ income, capital gains and inheritance.
Obama also promoted his plan by meeting with liberal media talk-show hosts, including Al Sharpton, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, in a White House powwow that was not on his public schedule.