"The President continues to believe that extending middle class tax cuts is the most important thing we can do for our economy right now and he applauds the House for passing a permanent extension. But, because Republicans have made it clear that they won’t pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy, the President has asked Director Lew and Secretary Geithner to work with Congress to find a way forward. Those discussions started just yesterday and are continuing this afternoon. The talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature."
Um, hi... Mr. President? The House just passed it. The thing you're responding to, you know? Yeah, it passed. So saying "Republicans have made it clear they won't pass blah-de-blah-de-blah" is kinda behind the ball a little, you know?
Now technically, your statement is accurate. "Republicans have made it clear that THEY won't pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy." But you're not supposed to be giving a crap about what Republicans will or won't pass. You're supposed to be caring about what the Congress can pass as a whole, and that includes your party, you know, Democrats, as well as the Republicans. The government is made up of more than Republicans. As a matter of fact, right now the government is made up mostly of non-Republicans. So saying "the Republicans won't pass a middle class extension" makes it sound like you care much more about working towards getting an outcome that Republicans will personally pass rather than something that the whole of government will pass.
Is it a hurdle? Probably. Everything's a hurdle with this crop of Republicans, including nuclear treaties, education for brown people, providing food to poor schoolchildren -- the works. But you're not the President of the fucking Republicans. They're not the ones in fucking charge here. Unless Mitch McConnell stole all your pens and stationary and won't give them back, they're not actually the ones who get to summarily veto legislation approved by the majority.
K thx bai!