Page 3 - Entitlement Side News Today

>> well, bill you know that and i know that in part because we watch fox news, and fox news reports it that way which is the straight forward way to report it. you can find that out from the other media, but you have to read it carefully because its not apparent. all the conversation, all the discussion, all the news thats made in this whole discussion since the end of the election has been about what? its been about tax rates on the rich. >> bill: right. >> thats been the whole story. the fact ...

Eligibility and the right is freaking out about the tax rates. so they have to decide. the administration is clear that the tax rates have to go up. obama has given in on this before and so theres pressure on him. theres a lot of pressure on house democrats so i think if they can come to some sort of agreement on the rate and if republicans are willing to push the other stuff to next year, thats a deal. i mean -- >> but i think what argues against a big deal that includes any sort of cuts for in...

Republican senator lindsey graham, good to have you in studio. >> great to be here. martha: got out of the craziness of washington for couple days. >> my export expires. martha: youll need one. talk negotiating tactics. does it make sense at this point in the game, what does it do to undercut john boehners leverage when folks go out there and say were willing to go book to 39.6%, as bob corker said over the weekend? is it helpful? >> i think it is hopeful for the republicans on the revenue side ...

Eligibility and the right is freaking out about the tax rates. so they have to decide. the administration is clear that the tax rates have to go up. obama has given in on this before and so theres pressure on him. theres a lot of pressure on house democrats so i think if they can come to some sort of agreement on the rate and if republicans are willing to push the other stuff to next year, thats a deal. i mean -- >> but i think what argues against a big deal that includes any sort of cuts for in...

Reform. weve heard some details about what they might be considering, you know, means testing, changing the means testing, raising the age of eligibility. what are you hearing with regards to sbimgentitlement ref that they would like to see versus the entitlement reforms that the president and democrats are likely to offer? >> i think all of this is more nuanced than we know right now. john boehner has to let rates go up. i think thats right. whether or not its to 37 or whether or not we raise t...

Last night in the same room about this issue. why couldnt they get in a corner and say ill meet you at camp david or at andrews air force base, we were talking about this earlier, i dont understand why it isnt time already to sit down? you dont have to wait until the very, very last minute. lets talk about some of john boehners plan, though. john boehner is not moving off of rates. hes stilling talking about loophole closures. do you believe you can accomplish what needs to be done on the revenu...

Testing on entitlements. do you think the democrats will vote for means testing on medicare and other ways to make cuts from the entitlement side to balance what youre hoping to get on the revenue side from the republicans? >> i dont think there is any strangle hold by aarp or anybody else on us. the president proposed last week some addressing of entitlements about $400 billion in medicare and others. there is no stranglehold. thats the difference. and i think the republicans in the end will de...

A state, its a negative one indeed. he says, in part that today they took -- they meaning the white house -- took a step backward moving away from consensus significantly closer to the cliff delaying again the real balanced solution that this crisis requires. of course well see a lot of posturing from both sides. are you persuaded that the administration needs to, and is prepared to do enough, on the medicare side, on the entitlement side, as well as getting these revenues, you know, from the re...

Social security. that theyre going to cut discretionary spending. you know, i will pay more taxes and americans will pay more taxes but not just so they can cop out like so many governors do and not make tough cuts. >> i talked to really severe republicans in the south and alabama and arkansas and they say the same thing and say were prepared to do that but not unless theres some significant cuts on the other side but they are. talking about the fact they really are -- theyre prepared to raise r...

They know republicans really are willing to put revenues on the table if we can do it in a pro growth way. you saw the "washington post" editorial this morning laid out 750 billion an easy way of getting there. there is a way of getting there on the revenue side. the question is can we come to terms on the entitlement side by the way when you deal with entitlements you dont do anything that deals with the economy in the short term. $27 trillion problem which exists is medicare. that is where the...