Soledad tells House Financial Services chair he has ‘no leverage’ as he misstates election result
The newly-named chair of the House Financial Services committee defended Republican resistance to tax cuts on the middle class in part by misrepresenting this year’s presidential election results to CNN host Soledad O’Brien.
“The President won 51-49. He’s got an electoral college victory,” said Rep. Jeb Harnseling (R-TX), both neglecting the fact that President Barack Obama’s actual popular vote victory margin was three points and ignoring Obama’s 126-vote electoral college defeat of Republican Mitt Romney. “It’s good enough to get him to be re-elected but it’s not good enough to give him a mandate.”
The Obama’s administration proposed solution for avoiding the so-called “fiscal cliff” centers on the expiration of tax cuts for the wealthy implemented during George W. Bush’s presidency, coupled with $600 billion in spending cuts and a tax increase for families making more than $250,000 a year. Republicans countered with a plan based around closing unspecified tax loopholes and deductions, and have also threatened to demand that service programs like Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act be put on the table in budget negotiations.
At various points in the interview, O’Brien suggested that lawmakers from both the GOP and the Democratic party could work together on the issue.
Raw Story (http://s.tt/1vZr3)
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