• …though it came close to happening, the ‘grand bargain’ ultimately fell apart. Twice. The collapse of that deal taught them two things: Boehner doesn’t have the internal support in his caucus to strike a grand bargain with them, and the American people don’t give points for effort.
• Ezra Klein • Breaking down the President’s new debt reduction deal, which he views as an admission by the Obama administration that their bargain-first instincts have been misguided. Not to say that such a strategy is suddenly unpleasant to Obama — his willingness to field GOP ideas has been a staple of his presidency to date. However, Klein’s example of the debt-ceiling “grand bargain” that wasn’t is quite apt; polling did indeed indicate that voters viewed Obama as the more reasonable negotiator, but that can be cold comfort when considering the presidency, a position that demands the highest level of leadership. As a result, Obama’s new deficit plan is less conciliatory, as he didn’t propose raising Medicare’s eligibility age, and has said he’ll veto any bill that cuts Medicare benefits while preserving the status-quo for America’s richest citizens. source

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