House Speaker John A. Boehner is being savaged on his own web page, with commenters fiercely denouncing him for proposing a plan that would see income tax rates rise for the wealthy.
Mr. Boehner’s approach, which he labeled “Plan B,” would extend the Bush-era income tax rates for all but those with incomes above $1 million, who would see their rates rise from 35 percent to the Clinton-era rate of 39.6 percent.
But in the open comments forum on the speaker’s official webpage, there is scant support for his move.
“John Boehner communicates as poorly as George W. Bush,” said commenter TruthPolice60, who said President Obama appears to be pushing Mr. Boehner around. “He is Obama’s ‘House boy.’ “
Commenter Potvin said Mr. Boehner, who claims to have naturally dark skin, has instead been baking too long under artificial lights.
“Your tanning bed is frying your brain. Walk away from Obama. Now,” Potvin said.
A number of the commenters said the country would be better off going over the so-called “fiscal cliff” in order to see real spending cuts come to fruition.
“The cliff sounds like the compromise we need,” said commenter “Dutch.”
The cliff is the combination of across-the-board tax increases looming Jan. 1 with the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and the Jan. 2 imposition of $110 billion in spending cuts, divided between defense and domestic spending, as a result of last year’s debt deal.
Mr. Boehner and Mr. Obama have been negotiating to try to extend some tax cuts and prevent the spending increases, with Mr. Boehner crossing several of his own lines in the sand to try to strike a deal.
But at least publicly, progress appeared stalled on Wednesday, with both sides demanding it was the other’s turn to show movement.
