CNN's Dana Bash reports that John Boehner's latest fiscal cliff proposal included a permanent extension of the Bush Tax Cuts.
Washington (CNN) – One of the reasons Tuesday night's conversation between President Barack Obama and John Boehner did not go well was because the GOP House speaker sent the White House a fiscal cliff proposal calling for a permanent extension of Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans, including for incomes in the top 2%, a Democratic source said Wednesday.
Democrats took the GOP counter offer to mean that tax reform cannot result in any marginal rates higher than current law, according to the source, who said Boehner's proposal was a "sign" to Democrats that "Boehner and the GOP are unwilling or unable to do any sort of deal that can pass the Senate or be signed by the president."
It's incredibly unlikely that the Republicans will find themselves in a position to extend tax cuts for the wealthy even temporarily, so to propose that we extend them permanently is laughable.
If the first thing White House aides did upon reading it was laugh, I would not be surprised.
The Republicans aren't serious people, and because they aren't serious we're probably going to have to deal with sequestration at least in the short term.