The President's proposal establishes a new front in the rhetorical battle to frame the deficit debate
deficit reduction
What John Boehner Wants From the Deficit Supercommittee
Back in May, when Democrats and Republicans in Congress were in the early stages of jockeying for position in the impending debt debacle, John Boehner went to the Economic Club of New York to deliver an ultimatum. The federal debt ceiling wouldn’t be raised, he said, unless the spending cuts in the deal exceeded the size of the hike. …
No Grand Bargain: Boehner Walks Away From Big Deficit Deal
After days of hype in Washington, House Speaker John Boehner threw cold water on the prospect of a grand bargain on deficit reduction Saturday night, effectively scaling back negotiations on a deal tied to the effort to raise the …
Nancy Pelosi Wants a Little Respect (But That’s Not All She Wants)
The protagonists in the debt-limit dealing are obviously President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, the golfing buddies and party leaders. The Senate’s 60-vote threshold for legislation—and the potential for random …
Inside Thursday’s White House Debt Ceiling Meeting: A Consensus to Go Big
There are really only two men in Washington who have any idea of what’s going on with the race to reach a bipartisan deal on deficit reduction and they’re not talking much. On Thursday, President Obama and House Speaker John …
Liberals Fear Obama Is Bungling Debt Talks
When President Obama meets at the White House on Thursday morning with Democratic and Republican leaders from Congress, all of Washington will be watching carefully for any hint of progress toward a deficit-reduction deal that …
The Gang Falters: Coburn Breaks from Deficit Negotiations
Senator Tom Coburn on Tuesday said that he’s “taking a break” from the Gang of Six, the Senate group that has been trying for months to reach a bipartisan deal on deficit reduction. The Oklahoma Republican’s withdrawal …
The Launch of the 2012 Spin
Here’s what we learned today: Whatever action Congress takes on the debt ceiling and deficit reduction will be the last significant work Washington does before all pretenses are abandoned and campaigning for 2012 begins in earnest.
In the next four to six weeks, Congress must pass a measure raising the debt ceiling as the Treasury …
Why The Deficit Commission?
The president’s “National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform,” chaired by Democrat Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, held its first official meeting this morning at the White House. Speaking about the endeavor, Obama pointed to the challenges financial crisis and economic downturn thrust on the …
Alan Simpson vs. The Deficit. Again.
Back in the days when I first arrived in Washington, Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming was one of my favorite people to seek out. That was pretty much the case with just about every other reporter in town, too. Simpson was always good for a salty quote; more importantly, he had a way of looking at things that made you consider them in a …