(Jason Reed/Reuters)
The latest from the
NY Times:
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.”
Presumably, that'll lead to a vote this afternoon in the Senate, which will pass with McConnell's support, then on to the House. Democrats will likely support it with noses held ... most Republicans will complain and many will likely vote for it as well.
Obama's positioning will be likened to Clinton's, as in this story noting strains with the Democratic base (Rightward Tilt Leaves Obama With Party Rift):
Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster, said polling data showed that at this point in his term, Mr. Obama, compared with past Democratic presidents, was doing as well or better with Democratic voters. “Whatever qualms or questions they may have about this policy or that policy, at the end of the day the one thing they’re absolutely certain of — they’re going to hate these Republican candidates,” Mr. Mellman said. “So I’m not honestly all that worried about a solid or enthusiastic base.”
But others are.
Stan Greenberg, in a long piece worth reading in its entirety:
In analyzing these polls in the United States, I see clearly that voters feel ever more estranged from government — and that they associate Democrats with government. If Democrats are going to be encumbered by that link, they need to change voters’ feelings about government. They can recite their good plans as a mantra and raise their voices as if they had not been heard, but voters will not listen to them if government is disreputable.
Oddly, many voters prefer the policies of Democrats to the policies of Republicans. They just don’t trust the Democrats to carry out those promises.
As to whether today's action hurts or helps that, the jury's still out.