According to CBS News, Treasury Secretary Geithner “insisted” that the unserious fiscal cliff offer outlined President Obama – which includes more new spending than spending cuts, and a $1.6 trillion tax hike that punishes small businesses – “will ‘absolutely’ earn more than enough Democratic support.”

But Democrats – even those openly talking about driving off the fiscal cliff – are already on the record against much of the White House plan:

• “Administration officials said the [White House fiscal cliff] offer constituted much of what Obama has suggested in budget proposals” – and Democratic lawmakers have soundly rejected those. Not one House Democrat voted for President Obama’s budget. It failed 0-414.
• Not one Senate Democrat voted for President Obama’s budget. It failed 0-99. That’s a total of 513 votes against the president’s budget in Congress and zero (0) in favor.
• Senate Democrats “narrowly approved a plan” with 51 votes that would have raised half the revenue that President Obama is now proposing and increased tax rates on small businesses.
• “House lawmakers rejected Democrats’ plan” that barely passed the Senate; 10 Democrats opposed it.
• Roll Call reports that some Democrats are alarmed over “the prospect of voting to raise $1.6 trillion in revenue, provide more government stimulus and permanently minimize Congress’ role in approving debt limit hikes.”

On the other hand, 19 House Democrats supported the bipartisan House-passed plan to stop the tax rate hikes on middle class taxpayers and small businesses.

Republicans are open to new revenue if it’s from tax reform, not rate increases that hurt small businesses, and is accompanied by significant spending cuts. Unfortunately, the Columbus Dispatch says Democrats are “not serious” about cutting spending. The Hill says the president’s offer “asks for nearly everything that Democrats want, while refusing to outline any specific cuts or entitlement reforms.”

It took three weeks from when Speaker John Boehner made an opening offer for the president to respond with an unserious proposal that’s largely been rejected by Congress. Is the White House just wasting valuable time needed to avert the fiscal cliff? “Absolutely.”