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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Mary Sanchez
You'd think the Congressional "super committee" on deficit reduction might be feeling a bit rushed.
Its deadline is looming. But, reportedly, committee members have barely begun to sharpen their pencils.
The 12-member committee has until November 23 to recommend
Yet the most pressing question isn't whether or not the super committee will meet the deadline. It's whether anyone will really be surprised -- if it matters, even -- if they do not.
A sense of urgency never came with this group's directive, dire as the situation that spawned it may have appeared. Recall, the bi-partisan group was the result of the summer meltdown, the deadlock over raising the federal debt ceiling.
The crisis of a U.S. government default was averted after months of high-stakes negatiation and feuding between President Barack Obama and Republican leaders of the House and
Essentially, the six Republicans and six Democrats on the super committee are a mini composite of the
With the 2012 elections looming, tea party activists will be gunning for any Republican who steps out of line. Meanwhile, progressive activists will be sure to call out any Democrat is too cozy with "big business" or soft on Wall Street.
Republicans are stubbornly beholden to their pledges not to raise taxes. And Democrats are well aware of their peril if they allow slices to be taken out of safety net spending on
And someone must cry uncle if the super committee is to reach the 7-vote majority necessary to put a plan before
So it shouldn't be a shock that recent reports have painted a picture of gridlock, stalling within the committee. Aides make it sound like they are playing board games, but only within their own party. No fraternizing with the enemy.
This quote, from an anonymous Washington insider, was given to the
The committee has received nearly 180,000 suggestions on what to do. Maybe a magic formula resides within the heap. But you can bet the "suggestions" that will be weighed most seriously are the ones that came with a nice check attached.
With the emergence of Occupy Wall Street and the Democrats' new emphasis on jobs legislation, the deficit debate has lost some of its urgency. But if another budget showdown is in the works, the final trump card belongs to Obama. The Bush tax cuts expire in December 2012, Obama can hold out the threat of vetoing any extension unless the
The only question is whether he'll play that card.
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