McConnell moves with care on budget

I wish I could be a fly on the wall in that meeing. I don't trust McConnell as far as I can see him. I hope they check him for recording devices before he meets with the President. I agree that it is time for the President to take over. It is obvious that some members in Congress are not used to working with people and making compromises. They just want to take their ball and go home.

Monday’s White House meeting between President Barack Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is an important first test for both men, each trying to draw out the other in the face of August’s debt ceiling deadline.

Before the Republican walkout last Thursday, budget negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden had made significant progress toward a package promising savings in the range of $1.6 trillion to $1.7 trillion over 10 years, not counting reduced interest charges.

Democrats argue simple arithmetic dictates that revenues must be added to help fill the gap and get to the $2 trillion-plus target. But having established a foundation, the bigger question is whether both sides should push ahead for a much larger deal encompassing more Medicare reforms and tax revenues.

Among GOP leaders, McConnell has been most insistent that the president play a larger role. But the senator from Kentucky is under pressure to spell out more where he stands after leaving the heavy lifting to House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.

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