Compromising Congress News Today

Felt really good not just for congress, what we have been fighting for as democrats. but really when we do something this positive it is really very important to american families and businesses. and as i said on the floor for this nation and economic growth for the future. and i think we should feel pretty good about it. >> all right, youre feeling good about it right now, representative allison schwartzs close to getting the senate bill tossed over wide bipartisan support going straight to the...

Difference or come to some middle ground? and we did it here thanks to senator mcconnell, who i rarely thank, and vp joe biden, and so his credit, speaker boehner who said im going to pass on to boehner rule and i will put it on the floor, because this is best for the american people. again, i think this is potentially a formula for ongoing progress for the congress and for the american people. >> so he has courage now, again? >> he was -- had courage today, i think he again has it now. >> and i...

Your taxes go up. and some will see that with the payroll tax cut expiring. with rates going higher for many of the wealthy. and so some credits will be gone. so it is a real big development in the sense that all -- almost 20 years of republican party orthodoxy, the no new taxes by any means, going away tonight. and the optics well were going over the cliff, taxes going up on everybody. this is about to affect everybody. either way it is very very big news on capitol hill. >> all right, nbc news...

Do you expect bills to be brought to the floor as we are seeing today without following the majority the majority rule? >> no, i dont. there is a very contentious atmosphere here in congress. and frankly it reflects the fact that there are two polar different positions on how we should address our debt. and i think this is a reflection today that this will pass of what president obama had on the campaign. people supported his position he ran on raising taxes on the top 2%. the romney supporters ...

Know those tax cuts continue. and that is pretty important. and a lot of tax provisions for helping students go to college. i mean we have fought for these things for a long time. but really americans deserve for us to do the things we did tonight tonight. and looks like were doing it. which is to find enough common ground to move this legislation to the president and to really deal with the major issue of taxpayers in this country. decisions that will meet next congress but a much better mood f...

The course of the last several weeks, going over the cliff would make it more feasible for republicans to vote. because after all, after midnight they were not voting to raise taxes, theyre voting to cut taxes. and after not violating the pledge of grover norquist and not violating their core believes and their core principles they did have some problems with the lack of spending cuts in this bill. and that is what they were talking about earlier today, trying to put something, amend the senate ...

Others having a big chunk taken out of their paychecks, the markets have been calmed fortunately the respect, i suppose all of this took place on a holiday. but in two months time we have the triple jeopardy the debt ceiling which the president has said he will not tolerate any gamesmanship on this however, with the debt at $16 trillion and growing, and the country technically already hitting the ceiling. and with the treasury secretary saying he could buy time for moving things around another c...

Party -- left right, democrat, republican, we need to take this deal. there is another part of the house republican in congress, that said no no no lets have a fight on this. this comes back to republicans know that they got $400,000 as a threshold. a lot of them take it as a victory, because the president started at 250. they think take this deal then the real fight will come in march on the debt limit. and if they dont budge, you know that is the real real big one when it comes to how the mark...

So this is a tactical debate and discussion and not over the leadership of john boehner. he will be the speaker. not for two years but for four. >> is it better for the white house for him to be speaker? >> i think what the congressman just alluded to was a little bit of a bait and switch because what majority leader reid is pointing out is that first and foremost it appears that speaker boehner wants to be re-elected as speaker. doing something now prior to the new congress to come in, could th...

And your colleagues in congress helped kree yit. >> yes. by the way, theres other things involved to be working on right now. money for sandy, the money -- >> whats the latest on that? really quickly. >> the senates got to pass it. amendments to be taken care of. you say you dont have enough time to do this legislation that will keep us from drifting in to a recession, we need to do the same thing, the same amount of courage to deal with sandy right away and stop nitpick this legislation. >> con...