In what was described as tense and dramatic Wednesday evening meeting on the debt ceiling, President Obama repeatedly clashed with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) while giving both sides a Friday deadline on whether to go for a long-term reduction in deficit-spending or find a way simply to avoid a default.

At one point, Cantor pushed for a short-term extension of the Aug. 2 deadline for Congress to raise the nation's borrowing rate, a request Obama shot-down, according to a Democrat familiar with the discussions. He also told the group of Congressional leaders that they can't accomplish anything if everyone keeps sitting in their own corners refusing to budge and move beyond their political comfort zones.

After the the closed-door session at the White House, Cantor told Fox News that Obama ended the meeting by abruptly walking out of the room and all progress thus far had been erased in the Wednesday meeting.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/president-obama-gave-both-sides.php?ref=fpa

MAJOR EDIT

I think he mentioned politico

And I am assuming worst case now.

By the way Eric...

Here from the bottom of my heart

PANIC everyone. PANIC.

this is all posturing. Obama has them by the nads.

some said the President said -- that he did not care if it brought his presidency down, but he would not accept the republicans' shit.

but as far as I am concerned... I am now in worst case scenario mode.

fracture the republicans in the House .... establishment vs tea party.

Took a minute or two

At least, I sure hope so. He can really put the hammer down on this whole affair.

in several forms. No need to worry.

Edited to add: But I wouldn't mind if the next rewrite adds a few expletives. :D

Or at least a hard jaw line and a steely gaze.

:shrug:

I just couldn't help it. But I tried to muffle it.

He has wasted time trying to negotiate with fiscal terrorists.

If he takes the issue to the people, he will get support from them.

I don't know why it took it so long.

He has all the weapons, all the advantages IF the Dem Party goes back to its roots.

It looks like maybe the Republicans have overplayed their hand at last and maybe he is beginning to realize that they are not and never where HIS friends, let alone friends of the American people.

We are waiting to support him! All he has to do is ask. And that includes many people I know who are Republicans, not tea-baggers, but there are many ordinary people who war Republicans and who actually do care about their parents and their grandparents who depend on social safety nets for survival.

Now is the time for him to define his presidency. He has them on the ropes. And the people will support whoever comes out on their side and asks for their help.

with charts! A la Rachel!

For example, the R's always yammering "The top 10 (1?) percent pay x % of all our taxes!" and we can show that is a mere x # of people, the dollar amount each pays and the RATE they pay, compared to the rate WE pay.

Stuff like that.

is a TV news world with three major networks and a public TV station, all of which will simultaneously broadcast his remarks -- as we had a few decades ago.

He can make a major address, but he can't force stations to cover it or voters to watch it. (No President could do the latter, but it was easier to "encourage" them when there was nothing else to watch on TV.)

The Presidential bully pulpit is much diminished, I am afraid.

*This hypothetical address.

This issue is about at the level of a national emergency, and they know they'd catch too much shit if they flat-out refused.

Now, they might still insist that the address be scheduled around America's Gleeful Bachelor Idol or whatever.

And that negotiation, between the WH and the TV suits, might be going on even as we speak, or will take place very soon.

But if the WH wants to do a prime-time address on this, they can. I'm sure of it.

taking place regarding the media. Across the Ocean, the Murdoch Empire is crumbling and the rats are abandoning the ship. Left, Right, and everything in between are joining forces to excise Britain from the evil grip of the New World Order's Propagandist. And it's reaching the US.

'There is a tide in the affairs of men when taken at the flood, leads on to fortune'. Or words to that effect. We are in such a time. Maybe he realizes it.

It is not the 'left' v the 'right' anymore, it is the people v The New World Order. If you have not been paying attention to the major, earth-changing events now happening, then you won't understand why this moment needs to be grasped. And maybe, he gets it. This is our time, he can be on the side of the people or the side of the Corporations. If I were in his position, looking around, I would go with the people before it's too late.

he'll have wall-to-wall network coverage?

I would be happy if you were right, but I kind of doubt it.

Why would you think he might not now?

if you think he can get all the networks to cover him just because he's making an important speech.

Seriously. The networks stopped doing that even before Obama was President.

And even IF a handful of networks still did that, that would still leave hundreds of cable stations and/or the Internet to distract people instead.

people will turn to other shows if they see the president on TV. They've always done that, or turned it off. That never stopped a president from speaking to the American people. 'Living in the past'??? How long in the past was the Bush presidency?

He has more access to media coverage than any other single person in this country. That is a fact.

I've done that before - only caught a bit of something that sounded a
Lot different than the whole.

base REALLY wouldn't mind starting this whole fucking

GAME

over again from 0.

having been though one of these austerity programs, and know this is going to be far worst than that one... yes, yes you do

it weren't for the fact that it'd hurt others who do care . . . .

most people in the US do not get.

Worst case scenario half of the country will be out of work.. no, not scary talk... reality

starting point. Except that those who aren't there, at the new starting line, will not be nobodies and will, in fact, be the new Kings with awesome far-reaching and deep powers.

mean... I really don't think so. This is going to be so bad, it is not even funny.

who are already desperate and powerless.

Nobody who is safe and warm and comfortable would WANT this sort of calamity.

But a lot of people have gone so long with scarcely a moment of safety, warmth or comfort that it's hard to take the long view anymore.


NOTE: Apologies to Patrice if I am putting words in your mouth.

years? That there are ALWAYS some on the left and right who will never be satisfied with their party, and that other than how SMALL this group is under Obama, this isn't anything new?

the GOP, Tea Party and every right wing zealot goes to GITMO.

yet he, just like any douchey politician, is more worried about his career.

Guys, can we have an actual pissing contest, fewer people might go hungry?

how do you speak to people who believe, as religious catechism, that low taxes, and I mean zero taxes... are the end goal?

This is what happens in California every fracking year... this time though it is at the national level. We are about to become an economic basket case due to a religion

I'm sure someone can come out with it right about now.

The whole quote (according to a "GOP aide"?):

"I have reached the point where I say enough," Obama told the leaders, according to the account. "Would Ronald Reagan be sitting here? I've reached my limit. This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this."

It seems like he's saying, Would Ronald Reagan have taken such shit? I've reached my limit.

and Obama is right...

Reagan would never have entertained what Obama has thus far been patiently entertaining.

neither will he. Obama has a certain admiration for Reagan.

I know he would hate to do it. I believe he will only go there at the end but faced with international financial Armageddon, or just US Congress Armageddon, I believe he'll go the precarious 14th Amendment route and issue an executive order because basically NOW Obama is operating with the biggest international banksters and will avoid international financial meltdown.

What that will mean to his 2012 campaign, or what it will mean to the world, or what it will mean to Congress who will most assuredly go batshit if he does go this route, I can only speculate (and dare not, yet).