I thought the Republicans screamed that we needed to close tax loop holes, so why are they now against it?

I am so sick of congress, they need to think of the people they represent and not the 2014 election. Close the loop holes and cut the spending. why are we paying these so called representatives a salary for a job they are not doing?

First they were for closing tax loopholes and now they are against closing tax loopholes. We have tried trickle down and it has not worked. Where are the jobs these creators supposedly create every time they get another tax break. I don't think the speaker is being truthful and a man I used to respect seems to be nothing but a puppet for the tea party.

Why do Repub’s. fight for hedge fund managers unfair tax advantages? From my seat, Speaker Boehner is the biggest loser in DC. Is he an alcoholic with those blood shot eyes?

The Republicans have complained for 4 years that Obama is a bad manager. Up until know Obama has done his job. Now is the time for him to prove them wrong. It is now Obama’s job to manage these minuscule spending cuts. The whining from the Admin. and JCS is intolerably laughable. It is not like they did not have time to prepare for them. We will now find out if Political Appointee dept. heads can manage!

BTW I saw Dennis Rodman on ABC's This Week. Please do not give that fool more air time!

Nothing seems to be going well these days...

the speaker has no power he knows it and this congress is just following the tactics they decided the first time our pres. got elected which is just say no no no. just look at all the times they have done anything together, just look at the last time they got something done without all the stupidity. the president ran on what he is fighting for, the people elected him over the other idea and so let the people get what they voted for. this argument is just one game after another to these people there, they sit and think that this country and the economy is a game of chess and instead of coming up with solutions they only come up with obstructions.

The Republicans are at fault. They put proving their power and protecting the rich above the good of the nation. I hope that 2014 we continue what we started in 2012 and run these jerks out of Washington.

The best thing of all would be for intelligent, moderate conservatives to take their party back, so we could have a rational conservative voice in our government (we badly need one), but that is not going to happen.

Even though poll after poll (including the last election) show this country to be center-left, Republicans on Meet the Press roundtables continue to outnumber Democrats. Today it was 2 to 1 with Kathleen Parker & Raul Labrador verses Joy Reid. Boeing & BP must really have David Gregory by the short hairs.

I have noticed that Meet the Press seems to have a lot of Republicans on when discussing national matters, without Democrats to rebut what is said. I also notice that Gregory doesnt ask the hard questions like " What is the GOP asking for to resolve this? Are they refusing to discuss closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and corporations?? Are they demanding cuts to SS and Medicare, whose recipients played NO role in this debt crisis. What about Sen. Graham's threat to "destroy the solvency of the United States" if his SS demand isnt met??

David NEVER seems to go after anyone. I have pablum for breakfast-- the only suitable time for it. Ourt media needs to be reporting FACTS--- NOT what people would like to see reported so they can sell ads and get more hits in their websites!!

MTP with Gregory gets SO frustrating!

Gregory allowed Boehner to frame the conversation along lines that follow Republican talking points, such as dealing with the "spending problem" as opposed to reducing the deficit by increasing revenues through closing tax loop holes, allowing it to be portrayed as Obama's sequester even though it passed the Republican House, and allowing Boehner to spread the fiction that Republicans have twiced passed bill to deal with the sequester. May of last year they passed one that merely says that all cuts will come out of social programs. One was passed 20 December and expired 3 January before the Senate was in session. Poor job Gregory.

Another view of a Crystal Ball

Washington should understand that the NASDAQ and the S&P500 are just not big enough for the required 401Ks without turning them into one big PONZI scheme. Try looking at a "Gray Hair Disability Act" to force employers to hire 60-70 year olds. Will you like to see the 401k PONZI Bubble Depression?

Comment, Alter and Pass it on

Congress debates every aspect of our socal programs, education, health care, etc., but our economic and political systems are off limits? If capitalism is all about competition then why is it we have only a hand full of corporations that control every sector of the economy? Is this capitalism when the top 6 banks are, "Too big to Fail," and together control 2/3 of our nation's GDP? Is this capitalism when American Corporations are given the privilege to socialize their investments and then privatize the profits? American Corporations are sitting on a trillion $ in profits and refuse to invest the money back into our country, 1/2 of them pay zero in taxes, and they hide money in off shore accounts.

Meanwhile, while those at the top are making more money than any time in history, during the second worst economic downturn since the great depression, American workers haven't seen their wages increase in 3 decades. Even though our nation's GDP doubled during this period, American workers are working 20% longer and harder for less money. Shouldn't American workers be rewarded for being the most productive workers in the world? Apparently, Washington does not think so.

Instead, Washington strengthens the wealthy elite and their corporate special interest partners dominance on our political system by giving them the Citizens United ruling allowing them to spend as much money as necessary to maintain their attack on our nation's democracy.

Congress is just fine keeping the political status quo just where it is, and the guaranteed economic inequities that come with it. If middle and poor class Americans lived in their world may be we would feel the same. I don't think so. Somehow, I think the majority of Americans believe in building this up, not tearing it down with greed and selfishness.

What amazes me is the banal language which is implicitly intended to avoid discussion on any specific proposal that a politician fears being tagged with. For example, eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. Yes or No. What logic should mortgage interest play in deriving a taxable income? Should someone who can qualify for a higher mortgage balance be awarded with a lower effective tax rate?

Mr. Bohner you may be out of road to kick the can down but still have plenty of ass to kick down the road. That should be a priority at the next elecdtion.

At this point it doesn't matter who said what, when. THe tea party branch of the republican party needs to realize that the people elected Obama and his vision for getting us out of debt. That's what the election was, a referendum of his policies. They've decided to dig their heels in and nothing will change until the mid-term elections when the democrats, independents and moderate republicans have a shot at replacing these far right wing-nuts!

The GOP needs to do two things: 1. Start raising taxes to pay for the wars they voted for. They are acting like an alcoholic who is in denial. 2. Stop cowtoeing to the Kocks, Rove, Norquist, and the other 25 billionaires who run their show! They are acting like dependent children. Oh that's right, it will take a LOT of money to get anyone of them reelected (plus it will take all their other unethical and illegal tricks).

maybe we should rename meet the press to "Softball" with David Gregory

He must be getting corporate pressure to "Lay Off" he's as pathetic as Wolfe Blitzer lately

Any viewer who is naïve enough to accept drastic cuts in spending and entitlements without major changes in eliminating corporate subsidies and tax-avoiding loopholes, is either blinded by cleverly subtle prejudice or misinformation from Right Wing media outlets. It's blatant that the Republican agenda is to thwart any success by our currently elected Democratic president in all ways available. The apparent strategy of the current Republican Party is to regain power at all costs and hopefully remove as much federal oversight as possible, to increase profits (and net earnings) for the very wealthy. If in the process of underpaying their fair share of the tax burden, they destroy the middle class, all the better as far as they are concerned. Unfortunately it is the buying power of our middle class that once made America a proud and successfully powerful example of democracy to the world.

David you're killing me. You either don't listen or you have some agenda in trying to open some wound that you perceive. You kept interrupting Gene Sperling when he tried to answer your questions, but you accepted whatever John Boehner's viewpoint without following up and asking him to clarify his answer. I found myself getting more and more frustrated watching you. I miss Tim Russet so much. I wish that you go back and review your performance. Ask yourself if you were fair or acted childish.

If you look at your paycheck, social security check, unemployement, pension ect., you will see deductions TAX, but if you receive income from investment's it's ZERO taxed and to put CREAM ON TOP being wealhty the little tax that you so called gave into from the last made up crisis you are able to reclaim the so called lost with all the LOOPHOLES you have had for decades! Tell me will you BLAME THIS PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO MAKE LIFE more difficult for you or someone you care about that receives SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE when Social Security has nothing to do with the DEFICIT! This Meet The Press Program as you can see each week is a Right Wing Show that has only 1 democratic voice and all the other voices RAISING and convincing the public that this president is wrong to protect those who are being used to continue giving more and more to the wealthy.

I listen to the idle talk about one party the republican party seated on Meet The Press saying everybody knows that the republican party will never give on taxes, what a crock I mean just who the hell are they to get big unpaid tax cuts and actually try to claim they are not big spender's that is just not the case as when they were in power that's all they did, they love government spending when they are the ones getting the money and it is the republican party that have got us in the messes were not in and then they have the nerve to say that they are the responsible party! They are not just go and investigate it and the Meet The Press as most news programs do a funky job at telling the people the truth as they are themselves enjoying all those tax loop holes and free investment money they are not about doing their jobs and telling the truth they are about party the party that they belong to Republican and phony tea partier's

David Gregory should be replaced on Meet The Press. He is not an objective moderator, and definitely not a journalist. Maybe he needs to be educated in the field of journalism by previewing "ALL" Tim Russart's taped interviews, as well as, other deceased former renown journalists like Walter Cronkite, Frank Reynolds, Howard K. Smith, Mike Wallace, and Eric Severeid, Peter Jennings. Gregory wears his Republican/T-Party persuasion from head to toe.

Meet the Press needs a new lot of reporters. Reporters like David Gregory and Chuck Dodd are republicians and their biasness shows!

I would have love to see that "Bozo the Clown"/Speaker of the Crazy House seat and anwser some real questions from a real reporter like a Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, a Lawrence ODonnell or a Martin Bashir. What I would have paid money to see is for them to have Nancy Pelosi on Meet the Press along with Mr Boehner with the interviewer being the incomperable Mr. Kieth Obiermann. Man I miss him. He would have tore that Boehner character a new one!