What the debt-ceiling battle means for 2012
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on August 2nd, 2011 4:35 am by HL
What the debt-ceiling battle means for 2012
To much of America, it may appear that the battle to lift the debt ceiling simply proved that Washington is broken. But as messy and ugly as it was, it also has been a clarifying moment — one that could define the terms of engagement of the 2012 election and shape the battle as one of two vastly different governing philosophies.
Whoever the Republican presidential nominee turns out to be, it now looks likely that President Obama’s battle for reelection will be fought around big issues. Chief among them: the size and role of government, and the values that will set priorities for a diminished pool of resources in austere times.
For some political junkies, donating repeatedly is way to get fix
They memorize their credit card numbers and press the “donate” button — sometimes several times a day — with an urge and a passion akin to an addict’s.
This growing and seldom-noticed class of political donors — confirmed in recent campaign disclosure reports from presidential candidates — includes thousands of working-class Americans who give in small amounts repeatedly, in some cases compulsively. They defy the common image that the most committed supporters are deep-pocketed high rollers who write checks for $2,500, the maximum, or the bundlers who get rewarded with access and ambassadorships.
President Barack Obama’s 50th birthday: A time for reflection . . . and fundraising
As President Obama wraps up debt-ceiling negotiations, he has another big event on the horizon this week. This Thursday, Aug. 4, the president turns 50. Washington Post reporters and bloggers are covering the landmark occassion in a variety of ways.
Make a wish
Join the conversation by participating in a caption contest illustrated by the Post’s Tom Toles. You have until 5 p.m. on Aug. 3 to weigh in on Obama’s birthday wish.
Boehner to meet with members to allay concerns over defense cuts in debt deal
The inclusion of potential defense cuts in the debt deal negotiated by the White House and congressional leaders has emerged as a sticking point for some key House Republicans as leaders are working to round up support ahead of a vote on the measure Monday evening.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is expected to meet with members of the House Armed Services Committee Monday afternoon to discuss their concerns about the debt deal, which includes a “trigger” mechanism that would force cuts of as much as $600 billion to the Pentagon budget if a bipartisan committee does not come to agreement on a further deficit-reduction plan by the fall. (The Post’s Jason Ukman has an in-depth analysis of what the debt deal might mean for the Pentagon.)
The moderate middle wins the day
For weeks, the debt-ceiling debate has been defined by a clash of the extremes; tea party conservatives seeking to dramatically reshape government and committed liberals afraid that doing so would squeeze the poor and the working class.
But, in the end, it was largely a coalition of lawmakers in the middle — 174 Republicans, 95 Democrats — that pushed through a deal that is expected to avert a government default and allow the nation’s legal borrowing limit to rise through 2012.
With many of the conservatives who helped define the terms of the debate unwilling to vote for the deal that resulted, the bill’s fate instead was left to lawmakers such as Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.), who belongs to a caucus of 25 conservative House Democrats known as the Blue Dogs.
