“At the end of the day, the economy would slump and people would suffer,” the Illinois Democrat said. “It’s a hard calculation to make, but that’s why we elect a president.”
Durbin also said that this is the only opportunity Democrats would have to provide another stimulus for the economy.
“We have to accept the reality [that] in three weeks the world is going to change dramatically in favor of the Republicans,” he said.
Liberal Rep. Jerry Nadler said, however, on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Democrats should go back to the public and fight against what he called the Republican blackmail of opposition unless the wealthy get a tax break. The New York Democrat was pessimistic that the tax cuts would be allowed to expire after two years, as the proposal schedules.
“If we succumb to that blackmail now, why would I expect that the president and the Congress would not succumb again to that blackmail?” Nadler asked.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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