With October 1 quickly approaching, arguments from both sides are heating up
debt limit
Obama Sticks to the High Ground in Addressing a Downgraded Nation
The emotional highpoint of the disastrous debt-limit negotiations last month may have come in the Oval Office, after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor offered a proposal that left the President displeased. “Eric, don’t call …
Congrats, Congress. Heckuva Job. We Slow Clap You.
Let us pause a moment to admire the collective wisdom of the intertubes, which has come up with the pitch-perfect reaction to the debt-limit compromise. A YouTube slow-clap campaign.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URI01jcXcIk]
As Debt Talks Collapse, Obama and Boehner Take Grievances Public
Updated 9:54 p.m. Friday
A clearly agitated President Obama walked out in front of cameras Friday evening to announce that 11th hour talks with Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans to raise the federal borrowing limit …
House Democrats Weigh Sacrifice and Await Word in Debt Talks
For the past seven months, House Democrats have had a rough gig. Relegated to the minority by the Tea Party wave, they were forced to watch helplessly as the new House Majority passed reams of go-nowhere conservative legislation …
The Fact Gap: Can Republicans Overcome Their Alternate Reality to Strike A Debt Deal?
There are plenty of reasons Congress is playing a high-speed game of chicken with the debt-limit negotiations, but one of the main ones is that the two parties can’t agree on what would happen if they crash. On one side, the …
With Debt Talks Stalled, Democrats Try to Divide and Conquer the GOP
A day after a testy exchange between Barack Obama and Eric Cantor capped debt-limit negotiations at the White House, Democrats launched a coordinated attack against the House Majority Leader, portraying him as a primary obstacle …
Eric Cantor, the GOP’s Hard-Line Lieutenant, Sways Debt Talks
At his press conference on Monday, President Obama made clear that his frustration with House Republicans’ intransigence in negotiations to raise the federal borrowing limit did not extend to their leader. “I think Speaker …
The ‘Hell No’ Caucus Makes Its Stand
On Thursday afternoon, the House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing on the consequences of a debt default. They invited four distinguished economists to sketch a gruesome picture: tanking markets, skyrocketing interest rates, a plunging dollar, a new recession–a grim chain of horrible outcomes that would scare any …
Democrats, in the Dark, Dig in Their Heels
Forgive House Democrats if they’re fuming a bit about the hairpin turn in the debt-limit negotiations. Reports that the White House is willing to consider cuts to entitlement programs as part of a grand bargain that far exceeds prior proposals caught them by surprise. At a briefing with reporters Thursday afternoon, House Minority Leader …
Debt-Ceiling Kabuki
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and No. 2 Senate Republican Jon Kyl want you to know they are taking a principled stand. They are against raising taxes. They will not recommend to their conferences that taxes be raised. They …
News Flash: Borrowers Who Threaten to Default on Their Debts Are Bad Credit Risks
It’s risky to lend money to a guy who might not be able to pay it back. It’s also risky to lend money to a guy who might decide on a whim not to pay it back. The debt showdown, in which Republicans are threatening to force the Treasury into default unless Democrats agree to their budget priorities, has turned the U.S. into that …
The Awkward Republican Coalition
Even before Osama bin Laden got whacked, some smart people declared that 2012 election would be a crashing bore because Barack Obama is likely to coast to re-election. I don’t think it’s so obvious. But even if we do see a …