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19 Sep 2011 16:34

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Politics: Ezra Klein on the perils of compromise-first politics

  • …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

10 Jul 2011 12:08

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Politics: Debt-reduction plan: The GOP wants the smaller deal. Wait, what?

  • biggish Republicans appear ready to agree to a $2.4 trillion debt-cutting agreement to allow the debt ceiling to go up, and to help prevent the country from defaulting on its loans. It’s something that Republicans have been fighting towards for a while. So what’s this drama we’re hearing about Boehner backing down last night?
  • bigger However, Obama’s eyeing a different deal — a much-larger $4 trillion one, which (over the next decade) would increase taxes for the top-fifth of incomes by cutting back tax credits and deductions — but in the process, trimming the debt significantly. Is it us, or does Obama seem more serious about fixing this issue? source