Howard Dean: President Obama Would Have More Leverage If We Went Over The Fiscal Cliff


The fiscal cliff was a win-win for President Obama. According to DNC Chair Howard Dean, the POTUS would have held more control over his office had the GOP allowed negotiations to fail. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Dean revealed:

“I believe … that if we go over the cliff, then the president has a lot more leverage.”

Also on the show was Vanity Fair National Editor Todd Purdum, who said that ultimately we are living in the President’s economy and “the tough issues are not being dealt with.”

Responding to Purdum’s comment, Dean revealed that the “frustrating thing” for him is that “Washington is incapable of making a deal that will help the country.”

Dean admitted that going over the fiscal cliff would have led to an immediate tax hike for middle class Americans, a deal he said would ultimately be “bad for every politician in Washington.”

While the Dems and GOP have worked to avoid the fiscal cliff, Howard Dean noted:

“At this late hour, I think almost any deal they come up with is worse than going over the cliff.”

Dean also agreed that the current deal being put into place will reduce tax rates and “make the deficit worse.”

Here is the full clip of Howard Dean discussing the fiscal cliff on This Week:

Do you think going over the fiscal cliff would give Democrats and Republicans the kick in the pants they need to satisfy the people they represent?

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