As details of a possible deal emerge, Democratic senators are starting to weigh in.
Sen. Ben Cardin said he hasn't yet formed an opinion on the possible deal and needs more "specifics."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is "not pleased":
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told reporters on Sunday that she wasn't thrilled with the way the negotiations to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling were happening, but thinks the final outcome could be good.
"I'm not pleased with having it happen this way," Feinstein said.
"But you know as they say, sausage-making isn't pretty. But the sausage we have I think is a very different sausage than when we started," Feinstein said.
Sen. Carl Levin is frustrated with the president:
[The enforcement mechanism] will not, we are told, apply to beneficiaries. And if it does apply to beneficiaries, if those cuts that would be the result of sequestration, if that applies to beneficiaries, I think the President will lose almost every Democrat....
The hope is sequestration will be avoided. Sequestration is not your goal, Sequestration is the goal which hopefully produce a decent outcome from a joint committee. Whether it will have that effect really will be determined by who's on that committee, and whether or not the members of the joint committee who are selected will reflect the views of the caucus. If they reflect the views of the Democratic caucus they will insist on revenue being included. [...]
[I]n the meantime there's a hell of a lot of damage done to average people in this country. I don't know of too many people, I hope, that are willing to have a political advantage at the price, at the expense, of people we represent. I hope not.
Sen. Dick Durbin:
“There are active negotiations and we are being presented with ideas that are being floated and asked for reaction. There’s a good exchange going on between the negotiators and the leaders,” Durbin, D-Illinois, said as he explained his newfound optimism. “Negotiators will call Harry and say, all right, here’s an idea, what’s your reaction?” [...]
“At the end of the day, the president has given Harry and Nancy his assurance that nothing will be agreed to until they agree with it,” Durbin said. “Although McConnell and Boehner may be directly involved, in the end we’re going to be party to the final decision.”
Durbin said that the Senate Democrats’ primary goal has been to extend the debt ceiling through February 2013, and that the negotiations are hung up over what happens if a select joint committee on deficit reduction does not come up with a solution.
“We’re not using the debt ceiling as the trigger. That what was this whole debate this last week has been about. We will not let the debt ceiling be the trigger,” Durbin said. “What we have been debating is when the joint committee reports, which we’re hoping will be before the end of the year, that if there is no agreement on their work product, what will happen. That has been the whole conversation -- the so-called triggering. What’s hanging over the head of the committee if they don’t agree and what’s hanging over Congress if we don’t agree with their findings.”
Meanwhile, on the crazy side of the aisle:
Senate Republican conservatives say they do not plan to delay a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling, giving Congress a chance to make the Aug. 2 deadline set by President Obama.
If any member of the Senate withholds his or her consent to speed up the chamber’s floor procedures, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could not pass legislation to raise the debt limit before Wednesday, according to a Senate aide.
