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Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Sunday morning that he was “very close” to recommending to his members that they sign on to a debt deal with President Obama and the Democrats.
Speaking on the CNN program “State of the Union,” Mr. McConnell said the deal included as much as $3 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, with much of that decided later this year by a joint congressional committee.
“What conservatives want to do is cut spending,” he said. “We’ve come a long way. This agreement is likely to encompass up to $3 trillion is spending cuts.”
In addition, Mr. McConnell said the agreement would allow votes in Congress on a balanced budget amendment.
Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, a top Democrat in the Senate, cautioned on the same program that “there is no final agreement. No one has signed off on a final agreement.”
But he indicated the he and others were expressing optimism because of the ongoing discussions between the congressional leaders.
“If there is a word that would sum up the mood it would be relief,” he said. “Relief that we won’t default.”
”The New York Times, “McConnell Sees Debt Deal ‘Very Close,’ Focus Is On Triggers for Cuts.”
Today, “progress” is partly defined by how slowly we get there.
“The Supreme Court has just predicted the winners of the next November election. It won’t be Republicans. It won’t be Democrats. It will be Corporate America.”
Calling It “The Public Option” Correct Decision? Schumer: “Yes, definitely, In America, people like choices.”
“The President listened very carefully,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in an interview moments ago. “He wanted to make sure that the strategy upon which we were embarking had the ability to carry through.”
…After the Thursday meeting, four sources in different Democratic offices told me that the White House had suggested they believed a strategy of pursuing Sen. Olympia Snowe’s preferred compromise—a triggered public option—might be an easier path to 60 votes. In the end, though, Schumer and the rest of leadership seem to have prevailed upon President Obama that they’ve picked the right strategy.
…”I think substantively the White House probably preferred a stronger public option than a trigger,” Schumer said.
…”I had lots of people coming up to me to say ‘I like my insurance, why are you forcing me,’” into a government health care plan. But ultimately, he says, Democrats’ repetition of the word “option,” and the theme “choice,” helped them win the argument with the public.
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