Congressman Defiant Over 'Die Quickly' Jab

'One fry short of a Happy Meal' after he calls Fed adviser 'a K Street whore'

(NEWSER) - Rep. Alan Grayson has irked Republicans over the past month or so with his sharp tongue—saying the GOP health plan was for Americans to “die quickly,” then, last week, comparing Dick Cheney to a vampire—but even fellow Dems are up in arms after an interview surfaced in which Grayson calls a lobbyist-turned-Fed-adviser “a K Street whore.” Said one Dem: “Is this news to you that this guy’s one fry short of a Happy Meal?” More»

(NEWSER) - With the Obama administration stepping up its push for health-care reform, Mark Halperin, in Time, lists five reasons why it will, and won't, get done. The pros:

• The industry is "still on board."
• "Barack Obama doesn't fail too often."
• It's a must-win for the entire White House agenda.
• Congressional Democrats are "remarkably united" on the issue.
• There's enough big-name Republicans who want a deal.

Hits 12%; Republicans fare worse than Dems

(NEWSER) - Congress’ approval rating has once again sunk to its nadir, a mere 12%, a New York Times/CBS News poll finds. That figure was first hit in October 2008, in the throes of the economic crisis. While just 28% of voters approve of the work of congressional Democrats, only 19% approve of the job congressional Republicans are doing, the Times reports. Within their own parties, half of Republican voters disapprove of congressional Republicans, while some 43% of Democratic voters disapprove of Dems on Capitol Hill. More»

Approval dives below 20%

(NEWSER) - The debt ceiling mess has pushed Congress' already dismal approval ratings into the abyss, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. Some 82% of Americans don't approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the lowest rating since the Times started asking the question in 1977. CNN 's poll gave lawmakers even lower grades, with just 14% of respondents approving of how Congress is handling its responsibilities. More than 80% said the debt debate was more about scoring political points than doing what's best for America. More»

$1T in cuts now with more later—and a 'trigger' to ensure a second deal

(NEWSER) - No revenues, big budget cuts—what exactly is in the debt-ceiling deal? Ezra Klein sums it up in the Washington Post : $1 trillion in immediate cuts with at least $1.5 trillion more to come; a vote on a balanced budget amendment; and an immediate $900 billion increase to the debt ceiling, with a $1.2 trillion or $1.5 trillion future hike. What determines the size of debt-ceiling increase No. 2? The "trigger." Klein explains: If Congress can't pass at least $1.5 billion in deficit reduction in round two, the trigger goes off and automatically cuts $1.2 trillion over a decade. More»