Obama Hardens On Raising Tax Rates, Divided Republicans Plan Next Move

In his first post-election interview Tuesday night on Bloomberg TV, President Barack Obama insisted that Republicans were going to have to agree to tax rate increases as part of any plan to avoid going over the looming "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax rate increases and spending cuts.

Republicans are divided over House Speaker John Boehner's latest GOP offer to increase tax revenues by capping tax deductions.

As Rick Klein of ABC News tweeted, it came as no surprise that the White House rejected Boehner's offer. The real news may be the blowback from right, prompting Klein to ask, "reason for optimism?"

At a news conference on Wednesday, Boehner said Republicans are “ready and eager” to talk with President Obama about avoiding the fiscal cliff. He said he put out a “good faith offer” and the White House needs to respond with a plan that could pass both houses of Congress.