Tick-Talk: Leaders Meet as Clock Winds Down

It's no turkey, but top leaders will at least get some practice carving up federal spending. Before next week's break, President Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will try to give Americans something to be thankful for as the country heads into a critical season for negotiations. Today, the two leaders--joined by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)--laid the framework for the next 45 days of dealing over the wave of tax hikes and spending cuts set to hit Americans on January 1.

Under the budget deal from last summer, as many as 277,000 jobs are on the line--from FBI agents to military personnel. The cuts to some programs are so deep that certain airports wouldn't have enough air traffic controllers to operate. But mapping out a way forward will be difficult, especially with the two sides so deeply divided. On the one hand, liberals claim the election gave them a mandate to raise taxes, while conservatives--like Congressman Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)--insist the only mandate this President has is to "talk about it." After winning just 50% of the popular vote, Labrador argued the White House doesn't have a green light to impose its agenda. "[W]e have a mandate to fight it. We will fight any members of our conference who believe that this is the time to raise taxes."

Before this morning's meeting, Boehner tried to reemphasize his party's role in the debate. "Our [House] majority is a primary line of defense for the American people against a government that spends too much, borrows too much when left unchecked." And while Boehner insists an agreement will "take a while," working days are at a premium. The IRS is already pushing for a mid-December deadline so that it has enough time to publish the tax tables. U.S. businesses, meanwhile, don't have the luxury of operating by the seat of their pants like Congress and had to plan for 2013 as if payroll taxes will increase.

Since the elections didn't change the debate's major players, the proposals for avoiding the fiscal cliff are familiar ones. President Obama still insists on soaking small businesses and families earning more than $250,000 with huge tax increases, while Speaker Boehner is asking for deeper changes to Medicaid and Medicare. The biggest obstacle to any deal will be the leaders who aren't in the room: House conservatives who refuse to accept anything less than across-the-board tax cuts. "Compromise has a very small constituency," said Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). "Very small." As the battle heats up, FRC will continue to push the House to hold the line on taxes. If they don't, Americans have a lot more to lose.

Meanwhile, a lot of people are wondering how sincerely the President is handling the crisis. Not very, judging by his afternoon schedule. According to Politico, the commander-in-chief is holding closed-door meetings "on these issues" with his nearest and dearest friends: Rev. Al Sharpton, representatives from the Human Rights Campaign, Sojourners, National Council of La Raza, and other social extremists. What could these leaders possibly know about solving our economic problems? In most cases, their policies are only contributing to them (see: family breakdown, homosexual benefits, "free" contraception, taxpayer-funded abortion). Apparently, the President isn't as interested in reducing the U.S. deficit as he is increasing our moral ones.

95 Reasons to Get to Church on Sunday!

Religious hostility has certainly been a recurring theme of this administration, and FRC is happy to announce a comprehensive new paper that helps address it. A century ago, nonbelievers could push religion aside as an irritating superstition that had to be endured because the majority and the Founder Fathers held to it. To ignore religion today, atheists would also have to throw reason and science aside as well, because developments in social science, psychology, and economics make religion's benefits clear to anyone who investigates them. There is a place for religion is civil society, and FRC's Dr. Pat Fagan's outlines why in his new paper. Check out his "95 Reasons for Religious Worship and Practice" at the Marriage and Religion Research Institute's (MARRI) website--and share it with your friends!

** As the Benghazi hearings heat up, Washington Watch Weekly will take an inside look at the scandal with FRC's own Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (U.S. Army-Ret.). Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) will also drop by to talk about a cause that he's championed his entire career: ending Christian persecution around the world. Don't miss it! For more information or to find a radio station near you, visit FRCRadio.org.

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