Obama says talks yield no agreement to avoid government shutdown, hopeful for deal Friday

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Time growing short, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders failed to reach agreement Thursday night on a compromise to cut spending and head off a midnight Friday government shutdown that no one claimed to want.

Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid all said the differences had been narrowed in a pair of White House meetings during the day. They directed their aides to work through the night in pursuit of a deal.

"I expect an answer in the morning,” Obama said in an appearance in the White House briefing room shortly after his second sit-down of the day with the lawmakers.

The comments capped a day in which the president, Reid, D-Nev., and Boehner, R-Ohio, bargained and blustered by turns, struggling to settle their differences over spending cuts and other issues while maneuvering to avoid any political blame if they failed.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obama_says_talks_yield_no_agreement_to_avoid_government_shutdown_hopeful_for_deal_friday/2011/04/07/AFzZ91sC_story.html

[Historic NY]

1. Obama shouldget right out in front & tell the people whats going to stop

from their social security checks to refunds.

[Newest Reality]

2. If you were going to court on Friday,

"hopeful for deal" is the last sentiment you would want to hear from your lawyer. In fact, you probably would consider new representation in that case.

Here we are, being held hostage to Rebli-tea-bag ideology. Can you BELIEVE that? Yeah, I keep wondering if that last acid trip never ended after this one. Maybe it is just a never-ending hallucination after all. Our hope and change Public Relations for American Incorporated guy is hopeful, but I wouldn't want him to represent me in court, ever.

Well, fellow hostages, here we are. Our system is not just symbolically failing, but we have a Scrabble bag of assclowns deciding our fates, as well as the fates of our poor, our children, our elderly, and everyone else who are not of privileged status. Do you really need anymore speculation, theories, arguments, or debates to get you where you need to go now, in the most practical, pragmatic and dire sense?

How much longer must we deal with the totally absurd means to subjugate our existence and future and call that real, normal or acceptable? You call the shots people, I just comment on my take in this game of what looks like make believe designed to keep the deadbeat rich thriving in their orgiastic fantasy of neo-Serfdom. The punch-line comes when you realize that you are agreeing with your own downfall and supporting it with your current lifestyle. The secret is in the sacrifice you have to get the gumption and certitude to make now. The ball is, and always was, in your court. You buy the lie or get ready to fight for and re-inherit your own freedom.

[tavalon]

3. Wow, this is some must see TV!

You might almost think there were two political parties with two different ideologies. Almost.

[florida08]

4. how many times are the American people

going to be held hostage by the extreme right and the Corps? The cuts are all at the bottom while tax breaks stay at the top with the spending by the Military Industrial Complex outrageously draining us. Damn

[UnrepentantLiberal]

5. The only negotiation for Obama is

what he has to do to please his corporate sponsors and what he can get away with while still claiming to be a Democrat. I so love this change I can believe in.

[Hubert Flottz]

6. The GOP has been in shutdown mode since bush checked out

of the KockRoach motel.

[hifiguy]

7. Gov't Shutdown Threatened by Repubs over Planned Parenthood

Source: HuffPo

"The United States government is on the verge of shutting down over a dispute about subsidized pap smears, according to sources familiar with the budget negotiations . . .

At a late-night White House meeting between the president and key congressional leaders, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made clear that his conference would not approve funding for the government if any money were allowed to flow to Planned Parenthood through legislation known as Title X. "This comes down to women's health issues related to Title X," a person in the meeting told HuffPost.

The negotiations are dominated by men: All of the principal negotiators in both parties are male, as are most of the senior staff involved. (House Democrats, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), have largely been left out of key talks.)"



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/07/government-shutdown-planned-parenthood_n_846463.html

---

There is no depth to which these fascistic, misogynist religulously insane Repig assholes will not sink.

[Ian David]

8. All Your Vagina Are Belong To Us. n/t

[gratuitous]

9. No, we can't have a balanced budget because the wimmens are irresponsible!

Really and no shit: How does any woman, or any man who knows a woman, vote Republican? "Why honey, of course your health is important to me. But dammit I'm not letting any of my tax dollars pay for it!"

[ehrnst]

10. Subsidized Pap Smears! Gateway to Abortions!!! (nt)

[peace13]

11. He who controls the birth control controls the women.

These people are beyond insane.

[onehandle]

12. The selfish needs of females are preventing the GOP from working on jobs.

Figures.

[FailureToCommunicate]

16. +1!

[FarLeftFist]

13. It's no surprise that republicans hate women....

And minorities, and gays, and senior citizens, and the middle class, and the poor, and different religions, and people in unions, and the disabled, etc etc.

[hayu_lol]

14. It would hurt many of us...but...

time for the Dems to get up and walk out of negotiations. Ah well, none of them have spines.

Let the Repugs shut the government down...turn out the lights and lock the doors in congress...and no, congress will not get their checks either.

[bongbong]

15. Shorter version

repigs hate America.

[abqmufc]

17. Let the government shut down.

A significant shut-down of several weeks *with no back pay when back up and running* will cause internal push for reform, but for a quicker result, it should be a total shut-down (yes, including all "essential" and security-related services) with no back pay, as this will not only promote reform from within the government system, but place tremendous pressure from the people to their elected officials to reform from the outside.

In reality what else will cause the majority of Americans to actually become active in the political process and engage in America's future? No government paycheck and services.

It wasn't the BP spill (ecology crisis, energy crisis) that pushed Americans into engaging in the process.
It wasn't healthcare.
It wasn't the economy crisis.
It wasn't the assault on worker rights.
It wasn't war (now 3).

Maybe if the millions impacted by a government shutdown realize what the millions of unemployed (like me) have been dealing with, we may actually see change.

[Jmaxfie1]

20. I agree, let them shut it down, since it worked out so well for them the last time they did it.

If they shut down the government it will make them look like extremists to the American public just like last time.

[abqmufc]

21. I hope...but then it never worked in Illinois

The thing that has me thinking this could actually happen is that it happens often in Illinois (well at least while I lived their (72 - 95), maybe the President will accept it as inevitable being from IL. I remember when I worked for IL State government the government would shut down in July what seemed annually due to the budget not being dealt with. It always sorted out by the time the IL State Fair rolled around (mid-August).

Unfortunately people just sort of accepted this as normal (having no state government for a few weeks). State employee's would pick up 2nd jobs, often those jobs college and high school students worked during the summer. Before I worked for the state I worked retail in the summer during college. I remember having my hours drastically cut back b/c older state employees needed the hours I was given (b/c they had families was the rationale). Funny thing was, I needed those hours b/c it is how I paid for my college.

I fear a budget passed in the midnight hour (due to riders) more than I fear a government shut-down.

[Jmaxfie1]

22. Me too, A bad budget is worse than a government shut down. n/t

[florida08]

18. they know what they're doing

by hitting key democratic supportive measures. They are indeed trying to shut it down..which is what they've been saying all along.

[fiberlady]

19. So the repubs...

will blame women for the government shutdown.