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08 Aug 2011 14:31

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U.S.: President Obama tries to reassure after credit rating downgrade

  • No matter what the agencies say, we will always be a AAA country.
  • President Barack Obama • Talking about the S&P’s downgrade of the United States in a speech today. He explained that they didn’t downgrade us because they didn’t believe that we would default on our debt, but because our politics get too much in the way — and because the threat of default was used as a bargaining chip. He also talked about our real challenge — long term deficit reduction. He stuck to his guns on policies like tax  cuts for the wealthy, and also said that we need to keep unemployment benefits around to keep our recovery going. However, just from this speech it’s clear that it isn’t going to be easy. It’s evident that despite the fact that Obama has good intentions, the politics simply aren’t going to change overnight. Obama also honored the troops that died in the helicopter crash over the weekend, which was well-deserved and moving. source

19 Jul 2011 14:42

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U.S.: Mitch McConnell’s “Plan B” may not be enough to secure U.S. credit rating

  • McConnell plan may not be enough for Moody’s: Some cautionary news on the United States’ triple-A credit rating today — Moody’s has been pretty open in saying the U.S. is risking a downgrade over the expanding debt and deficit. Senator Mitch McConnell’s fail-safe debt limit plan, which amounts to a transfer of power from congress to the President, would only occur if the “grand deal” President Obama yearns for (which would deeply cut spending and increase revenues at about a 3:1 ratio respectively) fails to catch on. Moody’s analyst Steven Hess estimates a whopping $4 trillion in deficit reduction might be needed to secure the triple-A rating. “I’d rather not opine on numbers in between,” he said. source