Rep. Welch: Republican Cole the ‘canary in the coal mine’

>>> going over the fiscal cliff will hurt our economy and hurt job creation in our country. this is not good for our country. it's as simple auts that and the president wants it.

>> republicans act like they have a strong card to play with the so-called fiscal cliff. but who are they snoolg according to a new poll, 60% of americans are in favor of letting the bush tax cuts for the super rich expire. now with members of speaker boehner 's own caucus desserting him, the republican goose may well be cooked in time for christmas. let's bring in peter welsh . good afternoon. here's more from speaker boehner at his press conference earlier.

>> you know me, i was born with the glass half full. i'm an optimist.

>> reporter: as far as spending cuts go, what specific cuts would you like to see? what programs?

>> well, again, we'll have that conversation with the president. we don't need to have it here. thanks, everybody.

>> congressman, it sounds like mr. boehner had the stuffing knocked out of him. when it comes to specifics it sounds like the romney campaign, what, 18.0?

>> that's more or less right. the president ran on a very specific platform, expired tax cuts for folks above $250,000. boehner came back after the election and said, you know what, we have to put revenue on the table. now it's time for the speaker to show us the money. he's got to tell the president specifically what his plan is. basically you're starting to see defections on the republican side . tom cole is a savvy survivor. he said we have to go with the obama plan. basically what he understands, that i think the speaker maybe understands is sometimes in politics as in life have you to do something you don't want to do. what the republicans don't want to do is raise revenues from the wealthy, but they have to and they must and they will.

>> but congressman, the last time i looked, the president had won the election. and exit polling showed more people agreed with his approach on taxes than even voted for him. now, i understand that speaker boehner doesn't like the fact that he lost and we offer him our condolences every day. isn't it time he responded to what voters want? this is what voters have said.

>> well, exactly. i think eventually he'll get there because the alternative in stone walling to hold onto those tax cuts for the wealthy is christmastime will be a $2200 tax bill. that's a disaster for them. it will hurt the economy, as the speaker was saying but that will be on them. so, he's got an out. the challenge, since he has a caucus that does not want to do what that caucus knows it must do is let the clinton continue for 98% of americans and we raise some revenue from the folks at the top 2%.

>> congressman, you mentioned representative tom cole and he's been honest enough to accept the vot vot voters' verdict and said we should accept tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000. do you think he can influence others in.

>> i think he's the canary in the coal moon. t he's trying to do reality therapy for some colleagues in the conference. they cannot have the alternative. the alternative, if they stonewall, is that $2200 tax increase that's their christmas present to the american people . it's not acceptable. they'll go kicking and screaming all the way to the end of this year. but the end of the -- at the end of the debate they are not going to allow, i don't think, taxes to go up on 98% of americans in order to protect the top 2%.

>> finally, i mean, you talk about this being a bad christmkris present but people are planning their holiday shopping. they need to know if they'll have a bigger tax bill. shouldn't they know that now?

>> they should know that now. there's no reason for a delay. the republicans just won't take it up. basically, there's just a lot of resistance. the republicans know they lost. the exit polls showed even romney voters support the obama position. they just don't to want do it. at a certain point, do you have to do some things that you want -- you don't want to do. cole made a nice comment. he said this isn't theology, it's about practical politics. we have run this place as everything is an ideological debate for the last two years. tom cole is a voice for practical problem solving.

>> congressman peter welch , thank you.