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Obama Preparing for Debt Committee Flop

Pessimism rampant on Capitol Hill

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 16, 2011 7:42 AM CST

(Newser) – Publicly White House officials are saying that failure isn’t an option for the deficit super committee, but behind closed doors, failure is exactly what they’re expecting. Advisers privately tell the Washington Post that they’re preparing for the possibility—perhaps probability—that the 12-member committee fails. President Obama has striven to remain hands-off in the process, lest he trigger a Republican backlash, but if the committee doesn’t hit its deadline, he’ll likely have to wade into the fray.

Pessimism is just as rampant on Capitol Hill. Harry Reid and John Boehner met yesterday in what Politico sees as a sign they’re trying to craft a contingency plan in case the committee fails. No bill language is circulating, and hopes of a deal exceeding the committee’s $1.2 trillion minimum have all but evaporated. In a closed meeting yesterday, co-chair Jeb Hensarling told his fellow Republicans that the panel would probably produce either an “abject [failure] or a ‘kiss your sister agreement.’”

President Barack Obama makes a statement about his proposed federal deficit reduction plan in the Rose Garden at the White House September 19, 2011 in Washington, DC.
President Barack Obama makes a statement about his proposed federal deficit reduction plan in the Rose Garden at the White House September 19, 2011 in Washington, DC.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
GaryGuss
Nov 18, 2011 8:06 AM CST
Cutting spending now would only result in the loss of more jobs, this is not a good option in a recession. I don't see that Sand P's downgrading the nations credit resulted in any fewer T-notes being purchased. The whole deficit reduction scam is being promulgated by Republicans to try to starve the beast and reduce or eliminate public schools, social security, medicare and medicaid and a host of other programs they don't like. We need to raise taxes on capital gains back to where they historically were and eliminate the many loopholes in the tax code, as well as raising income taxes and restoring the inheritance tax to stop the super rich from passing on their ill-gotten gains tax free to their descendants. Outside of a revolution I don't see this happening. Too bad.
railrod1
Nov 16, 2011 11:31 AM CST
Abject failure is that code for congress sucks. Vote all of them out start with new no incumbants!
serfinWI
Nov 16, 2011 9:57 AM CST
It's just what he planned.  Pass the buck, 'cause he and his lame ass Senate failed and couldn't pass a budget if it knocked them over the head with a big gavel, hope for failure, then blame it on those he passed the buck to, and use the expected failure in his campaign stumps. And expect all of you idiots to go along with the myth he's creating.

 
budget deficit • Jeb Hensarling • Obama administration • super committee

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