Norquist: President to blame if no deal is reached

>>> under my plan, first of all, 98% of folks who make less than 250,000, you won't see your income taxes go up a single dime. all right? because you're the ones who need relief. but we're not going to be able to get it done unless we also ask the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on their income over $250,000. the same rate we had when bill clinton was president and our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs.

>> that's from a new video by the obama administration designed to get the public on the president's side of this tax fight. the president took to twitter today to answer questions about the fiscal cliff. one person asked whether deductions for homeowners are at risk to which the president responded, breaks for middle class important for families and economy. if top rates don't go up, danger that middle class deductions get hit. signed "bo." yesterday house speaker john boehner said this on fox news.

>> listen, nobody want to go over the cliff. that's why the day after the election i tried to speed this process up by making a concession to put revenues on the table. it's unfortunate that the white house has spent three weeks doing basically nothing. you know, the president's idea of a negotiation is, roll over and do what i ask.

>> and on "meet the press" yesterday grover tried to change america's mind about who to blame if we do go off the cliff.

>> tea party 2 is going to dwarf tea party one if obama pushes us off the cliff. let's not pretend who's pushing us offer the cliff.

>> but continuing to insist that the president does have the better argument.

>> at the end of the day , president obama is selling a very simple message. i want to keep taxes low for middle class americans and i'm worry are in the position of looking as if they don't care about the middle class and just want to keep tax rates low for wealthy americans .

>> krystal, it's grover norquist versus the polls, actually, the polls actually tell us -- a new cnn poll shows that 45% of americans would blame congressional republicans if no deal is reached and 34% would blame president obama . i don't think grover is going to turn that around.

>> no, i don't think grover is going to turn that around and i don't think that he's right that tea party 2 will dwarf tea party 1.

>> he is so wrong.

>> but i do think that there is true to the fact that there is already a backlash from the ultra right, grassroot tea partyiers that are still out there upset with boehner over his initial position, which is still quite far to the right, as you and ryan talked about in the last segment, doesn't even include any increase in the top tack rates at all. it still focuses on these magic, you know, reductions of loopholes and deductions that we've never heard anyone from mitt romney or anyone else be able to actually describe.

>> let's listen to something that tim geithner said, his description of the republican's problem.

>> they are in kind of in a tough position now and it's going to be -- it's obviously a little hard for them now and they are trying to figure out where they go next and we might need to give them a little time to figure out where they go next.

>> when you say that they are in a hard spot, what do you mean?

>> well, they are trying to figure out how to find a way to support things that they know they are going to have to do. it's going to be very hard for them. if they are going to tell us what they are willing to do on rates and revenues, that's going to be really hard. again, if they need more time to figure out what they are going to do, what they want to do, that's fine but we don't have that much time though.

>> he's saying, we're not going to give in. if you want more time to decide what you are going to do, we're not giving you anything.

>> he's very compassionate.

>> there was an empathy there. he looks like a therapist saying you have some work that you need to do and you're going to have to figure it out. the other thing he said, of course, also on "meet the press press" is, look, tax rates are going to go up for everyone and we're going to have to deal. this desire to take erskine bowles who is not necessarily a household name and trying to claim that his testimony at a given time reflects some great republican compromise is dead on arrival . mr. bowles came out today and he said that the attempt to invoke his testimony was off base and that this republican offer, to the extent it offers anything, is not the simpson/ bowles plan, is not the bowles plan. it reminds me of the rap group , 36 mafia . they say, keep my name out of your mouth. it's basically what mr. bowles said to speaker boehner, don't talk about me, don't talk about my plan, go work on your own plan.

>> let's listen to another thing grover said yesterday about president obama .

>> it's the president who is threatening to raise taxes on the middle class if he doesn't stamp his feet and get his way.

>> it's so funny to see somebody talk about someone else in full projection mode.

>> right.

>> that is grover . you know, stomping his feet and getting his way and he's pretending that the president debafs the way he does.

>> that's been his entire path to power and he has gotten his way because not only has he stamped his feet to get his way but he's also threatened people. he's done that here by saying that the tea party 2 is going to dwarf tea party 1, that's sending out a message saying, if you support any revenue increases, if you go along with compromise, we're going to get you next time around in your primary. that's what this is all about. it's an intimidation to republicans thinking about actually trying to come to some sort of deal and move forward.

>> let's listen to a prediction that lindsey graham made which i think i agree with.

>> i think we're going over the cliff. it's pretty clear to me they've made a political calculation.

>> i'd say right about now he's right about that. that the white house has made the choice, if we don't get exactly what we want before new year's eve, we're going to let this happen.

>> yeah, we're going to let it happen . and, look, it's not the end of the world . the question is, do we do a deal in the ninth inning or the tenth inning.

>> exact legal.

>> nobody who is serious about this is that there would never be a deal. if there was never a deal and we had arbitrary defense tucks and restructuring of our taxes, that would --

>> for a while.

>> exactly. but if it's two or three weeks that the republicans want to do for the sake of their own drama and own inability to make of their minds, i think we can handle it.

>> i think it will be less than three weeks. i think it will be in the order of seven days maximum. krystal ball, thank you both.

>> thanks, lawrence.

>>> coming up, hillary clinton is running for president, so says an article posted online today at the new yorker.

>>> and mitt romney is not enjoying private life according to a washington post report that says mr. and mrs. romney are having a hard time adjusting to losing the election.