Geithner Says GOP Will Cave, Allen West Compares Himself to Lincoln, and More

Wealthy Will Pay

: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says Republicans will agree to increase taxes on the richest Americans in order to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff. In an appearance on Sunday morning’s “Meet the Press,” Geithner said: “The only thing standing in the way of [a deal] would be a refusal by Republicans to accept that rates are going to have to go up on the wealthiest Americans. And I don’t really see them doing that.” He also dismissed last week’s incendiary rhetoric coming out of the GOP as nothing more than “political theater.” (Read more)

It’s Christmastime: Of course, Republicans had harsh words for the Treasury secretary as they made their rounds on the Sunday morning talk show circuit. Rep. Tom Cole from Oklahoma was one Republican who ripped Timothy Geithner for the plan he brought to congressional leaders last week. “They must think John Boehner is Santa Claus, because that is a Christmas wish list, not a real proposal,” Cole said. (Read more)

Tax Ax: An interesting analysis done by The New York Times reveals that, despite what Republicans and those in the tea party would have you believe, most Americans are actually paying lower taxes today than they were 30 years ago. High-income earners had the largest decline in terms of taxation percentage, but those in the middle class benefited as well. (Read more)

He’s No Lincoln: Proving that losing his congressional election made him no less delusional, ousted Rep. Allen West compared himself to—of all people—Abraham Lincoln. Discussing his political future in a recent interview on NPR, West said: “And always remember, Abraham Lincoln only served one term in Congress too.” What the tea party favorite conveniently leaves out is that, unlike himself, Lincoln did not spout vitriolic insults at opponents and also had a penchant for not making enemies, something that served him well during his time in Congress and the White House. (Read more)

Honorable Mentions: Actor Dustin Hoffman, talk show host David Letterman and classic rock band Led Zeppelin will be among those feted for their lifetime achievements at Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors gala. This is the 35th installment of the event, and the fourth time President Obama will bestow the awards. (Read more)

Audio of the Day: In an interview with Grantland’s Bill Simmons, Nate Silver slammed Politico for its coverage of the 2012 election. Silver, who was criticized and called a “one-term celebrity” by the political publication, told Simmons that Politico was “trying to cover it [the election] like it’s sports, but not in an intelligent way at all, right? And they want to create noise, basically, right?” Listen: