I am extremely hopeful. I did not believe the republicans will allow us to go tubhe cliff. I hope that is true. It is such a simple problem to solve. We have had experience. We know. A couple of rounds with the speaker and obama. We had the judd gregg kent conrad. We know it. It has been doing something with actual tax revenues. Mitt romney proved during the campaign you cannot do it just by doctoring up the tax code. That should be part of the deal. We need to have tax reform, we have to have the people that have done so well during the difficult time with the economy, the richest of the rich will have to pay a little bit more to solve the idea of the problems of the country. To solve the financial problems of this country. Good afternoon, everyone. As we head into the fiscal cliff negotiations, my advice to the president would be seems like our friends on the other side are having difficulty turning off the campaign. We need to sit down and work this matter out. I think we have a clear sense of the year to do something important for the country. We all know that the most critical steps to be taken are to save the entitlements, which are on an unsustainable path to bankruptcy. Theres no better time to begin to fix that problem than right now. So i would hope our friends on the other side can kind of turn off the campaign and get into a cooperative mode here to reach a conclusion. Which leads me to make a further observation about how unfortunate it is that the majority leader has chosen to create an extraordinary controversy here in the senate right here at a time when we ought to be encouraging maximum bipartisan cooperation, about threatening to employ the nuclear option, which is to break the rules in order to change the rules of the senate. I hope cooler heads will prevail as we move through the process. We need to be working together. The election was november 6. We wont have another one for two years and its time to start pulling everybody together as the American People expect us to do know matter how they voted last november to begin to solve this big problem. As the leader mentioned, the issues with regard to the fiscal cliff is pretty straightforward and the president in his press conference shortly after the election stated its his goal and priority, jobs and the economy. Ought to be about jobs and the economy. Republicans couldnt agree with him more which is why the proposal the president has put forward to solve the fiscal cliff raises taxes on a million Small Businesses who employ 25 of the work force and an Accounting Firm has done a study has said if the president s proposal went into effect which is to raise taxes on the Small Businesses out there that it would cost us over 700,000 jobs and reduce takehome pay by 2 and reduce Economic Growth by 1. 3 . What the president is proposing to do would hurt jobs and the economy, which is again, i ironic in that the president s only solution to solve our fiscal cliff issue is to raise taxes. In 2010, we had the same debate. Raise taxes in the middle of a weak economy. At the time Economic Growth was 2. 4 through the first three quarters. Number is 1. 8 . The president said you shouldnt weak economy. Has to lead on this issue. On people who create jobs in this economy if it is about jobs and the economy. And we all know what drives federal spending in this countryand we have seen no proposal from the president when it comes programs and getting them on athere is a solution out there, solution is to raise taxes on the very people that were looking to to lead us out of time. The president says he is focused on jobs and growth and what republicans are committed to is providing good jobs for working families. And one of the ways we are going to do with the keystone xl pipeline. We joined nine democrat colleagues to write a letter to the president to ask him to meet with us to focus on keystone xl pipeline. Wonderful way to do it. Talking about 20,000 jobs and the additional jobs related to the direct jobs of the pipeline. Focuses on jobs and allow us to continue to produce goods and services in the united states. President , if he truly is focused on jobs and growth should be embracing today and should not continue to delay. At the very time we ought to be finding ways to cooperate and find a solution to the fiscal cliff, i really think that the majority leader has decided to needlessly kick over a hornets nest. I like the house. I think its open that the house function like the house. But its important that the senate do the job the way the senate is supposed to do. Into the house and you shouldnt break the rules to change the rules. I dont think anybody has any doubt if they try to change the rules of the ongoing continuous body that the senate is, that the parliamentarian will say that the rules say it takes 2 3 to change the rules and the majority would say, we dont says, we are going to chain the rules any way. In an environment anything that passes the Senate Without republican votes is unlikely to pass the house. Years to get to every political is to blame instead of having rules. The three times we followed the rules this year, we passed bills. The highway bill, the postal reform bill and the ag bill, all passed. Amendments anyone wants to offer and do what the senate does every single time when we did that, we passed a piece of legislation in a bipartisan way. Anywhere in the house. At least i would understand there was a governing argument if the majority leader had a said what we pass here is going just going to pass it with all over again. That is not the case, believe me, this is a hornets nest that makes it harder to get the work done that has to be done and questions. What filibuster reform would what ought to be happening, ought to be sitting down not rules changes are appropriate. Agreement, it would be done in a manner consistent with the rules, which would require 67 votes, which i dont wouldit is important to remember that the senate hadnt always functioned like it has the last two years and the rules were exactly the same. But a behavior problem. And the majority leader has insisted on not allowing amendment tree, which of course not only prevents us from offering any amendments that he doesnt agree to allow, but prevents his own members from offering amendments. Committee work is irrelevant. Members serve on committees. Their bills are never brought up. Senator blunt mentioned three examples where we followed the normal procedure and all the bills passed. What we need is a majority leader with a different view about the senate, consistent with its norms and traditions. But on the issue of changing the rules, the way thats normally done is the two leaders sit down and see what might be appropriate. I would be happy to do that. That would be a good time to do it looking into next year. On that issue, two Different Things have come up at once, the fiscal cliff, which you said we need to draw people together. How are the two things connected in your mind, you all are trying to find a way to an agreement to the fiscal cliff. The fact that this rules controversy, how are the two connected . If i were the leader, i would feel really good about the election. Kept my majority in the senate minority, we have big issues that can only be solved on a bipartisan basis, how can i be building bipartisan confidence going into these huge issues that we have before us. The last thing on my list would the senate, have it blow up and have everybody mad as heck. I mean, im just perplexed about the judgment on display here blowing up the senate at a time when the election is behind us. Two years. Turn the election off. Bring everybody together and try to solve big problems. Consequences. Of course, we want to get an unsustainable growth rates of our very popular entitlement programs. The president has indicated an openness to that and nows theand i hope we can put all this on a bipartisan basis, which would help us get there here at the end of the year. The president and leader reid said Social Security should be off the table. Whats your reaction to that . All of the entitlements need to be discussed, because they on an unsustainable path. Medicare is in more immediate danger. We want to save these programs and i understand the dilemma that the president and thethey dont want to change anything. Well, times change. And until we make sure these popular entitlement programs fit the demographics of the changingits simple math. What we have lacked so far is the political courage to do what needs to be done. Look, im not happy about divided government. I would rather have a republican president , Republican Senate and republic house. Good things about divided government, its the best time to do really hard stuff and ill give you four good examples. Did the comprehensive tax reform. Clinton, welfare reform and balanced the budget for multiple years in the late 1990s. This is the perfect time to solve single biggest problem confronting our country and we are anxious to sit down and get the job done. \[inaudible question] dick durbin says as talks continue on of this booklet democrats must be open to painful topics, including medicare and medicaid. He was at the center for American Progress for about 45 minutes. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here. I am the president of the center for American Progress. We are thrilled to have senator durbin here today to talk about his views on the fiscal cliff. As we engage in this debate, i wanted to lay out a few principles that are critical as washington becomes obsessed with this set of issues. The elections have consequences. At c. A. P. , we have argued that the issues that are really framing the fiscal debate and fiscal cliff were ones that were litigated in the election context. The president did not have one set of conversations before november and a second set now. There was a thread going through the debate that the country was having and that thread was around having a balanced plan to address americas fiscal challenges. There are serious fiscal challenges that we do need long term deficit reduction that is important to americas credibility. It is important for americas economy and Economic Growth. That plan has to be balanced, and that means significant revenues and that paying has to go around. That means the wealthy and well off have to pay their fair share as well. These should not be new issues. They are ones that were debated. They came up in every debate even the Foreign Policy debate. The American People are on the side of the president and democrats who are making this case. That is not to say that there should not be spending as part as this debate. There has been over 1 trillion in spending cuts. That is a part of this debate that gets lost. Just because washington has a short memory does not mean we should all have one and that there has already been sacrifice on behalf of the American People through those domestic discretionary cuts. We are excited. C. A. P. Has been a lot of work on the fiscal cliff. We have talked about medicare savings that can improve and strengthen the program and address Rising National health expenditures. We will have more to say on the issue of taxes. We are ecstatic to have senator durbin here today, who has played a fundamental role over the last several years. He has been part of every negotiation that has taken place. He is still an optimist. That is a sign of progress. He has had a long history of being a champion and advocate for the middle class. He has carried that advocacy in the budget negotiations. He was part of the supercommittee, this fiscal, the gang of eight, the gang of six almost every gang that has been involved in these issues. He has been a fighter for what is right and for having a plan that stands true to the values of the American People and the people who voted and waited in line for hours on end to vote people who want a fair shake out of washington. As a champion of that fair shake, i am excited to have senator durbin. Neera, thank you very much for those kind words. It is good to see you. Thanks to the center of American Progress for the all the work you do. Elections have consequences, and politics is driven by a lot of things candidates and money but many times it is by ideas and issues. The center has been on the forefront of this effort to make sure that progressive ideas are backed up by more than just feelings of the heart but arguments of the mind that are compelling and persuasive. Thank you for doing that. I do not know what we would do without you, and it is an honor to be here with you. I have been involved in a lot of gang activity. It started with harry reid appointing me to the Simpson Bowles commission 18 members. I thought this was another commission whod work product would be lost in history and on a dusty shelf or buried in some hard drive. It turned out to be a historic effort and a game changer mainly through the good work of Erskine Bowles and Ellen Simpson with hard work that was put into this by 18 members, evenly divided among house and Senate Democrats and republicans and six public members. 11 of us voted for the final work product. I was invited to join the gang of six to continue the conversation on simpsonbowles. It expanded to the gang of eight. The conversation has been going on for two years. That is a lot of popcorn in mark warners office. It was a great education and effort to sit across the table from conservative senators and talk through not just the reality of the deficit but the political reality of the deficit, which we have to be more sensitive to if we are looking for an honest solution. Some of my friends on the left came to visit. I recall one the labor leader who said what is a nice progressive like you doing in a place like that . Why are you hanging with those people . They are up to no good and they are not going to do the things you go elected to do. I disagree with this person. I said given the choice between attending a press conference with you, walking outside, walking outside with a sign, or being seated at the table, which do you think is a better place for me to be . She paused and said stay at the table. That is the reason i have been there because i have a role to play a voice to add that is not going to be there otherwise. Just by way of background a little bit Dave Copperfield here. I ended up in politics thanks to two pauls paul douglas and paul simon. Douglas was my first person i met in politics, a u. S. Senator an extraordinary man who served until 1966. I was a College Intern in his office. He used to say you do not have to be a wasteful to be a liberal. I think we would say you dont have to be wasteful be he was much more literate than me. Paul simon is well known as a progressive liberal. He was also a strong supporter of the balanced budget. I happen to agree. I believe what we face now is a threat to our country, to our budget, at every level. The money we are borrowing to sustain our government is money borrowed to sustain food stamps as well as the pentagon. We ought to be thinking of that in terms of our values and our future. Let me speak to a couple of elements here that i think progressives should keep in mind. Progressives cannot afford to stand on the sidelines in this fiscal cliff debate. Important critical decisions will be made soon that will affect this country for 10 years. I think we need to be a part of this conversation. We need to be open to some topics and some issues that are painful and hard for us to talk about. We cannot stand by the sidelines in denial that this is ever going to engage us in the things we value. We cannot be so naive to believe that just taxing the rich will solve our problems. I believe that is an important part of a solution. We have to look to reform and change that is significant, that preserves many of the values and programs that brought us political life, and we cannot believe that merely ignoring these programs or not engaging will solve the problem. Pick up any of the newspapers and look for the fullpage ads and you will see on a daily basis organizations that we respect and are engaged in political campaigns, buying ads basically saying to the left, keep your hands off entitlements and to the right, keep your hands off of texas. If both sides heed those warnings, nothing will happen. It is better for us to engage with basic grounding in values and principles. Let me tell you what i mean. First, i start with the premise we need to preserve and extend productivity in the tax code. The lesson is clear. We know what happens in middle income families and those making less. They are falling further and further behind. What the president has proposed and what the senate has passed, the 250,000 protection, that is significant. If we do not protect those families from the fiscal cliff, they will see their annual taxes go up 2,000. It will be noticed. It should not happen. I hope the house will take up the president s challenge an invitation and pass the senate bill to protect families making less with one vote, they can avert the fiscal cliff for 98 of american families, at least when it comes to income taxes. It is necessary. We know what has happened over the last several decades. It is the worst it has been in almost 90 years. Between 1980 and 2005, in the 25 year time period, more than 80 of the total increase in americas income went to the wealthiest. 90 has got to the top 1 , the Median Income of the middle class has declined. I could go on and give illustrations. I do not think i need to to this group. When we address the issue of revenue in taxes, i insist in every meeting i have been in that it needs to improve it for low income categories. That is the starting principle for those of us who are progressives. The second thing we must insist on is to protect the safety net for america. Make no mistake. As good as we are, there will always be people in this country who will need a helping hand. Because of a physical or mental deficiency. They will need a helping hand. Or just the economic circumstance they find themselves in. I went to a food bank last year. I was in a warehouse and i took a little tour. There was a nicely dressed young lady there. I watched. I thought she must be on the board here. I talked to her. She talked about her kids. To work for the local school