Tag: 2011 Federal Budget

Debt Ceiling Update

Filed in National by on July 24, 2011 34 Comments

So it looks like Boehner, et al are working on a “framework” that is to be announced sometime before the Asian markets open this afternoon. First, the best summary of Where We Are Now comes from British Business Secretary Vance Cable:

“The irony of the situation at the moment, with markets opening tomorrow morning, is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American congress rather than the eurozone.”

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President Obama on Boehner Leaving Debt Talks

Filed in National by on July 22, 2011 8 Comments

Here is the video of his press conference this evening:

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Gang of Six Proposed Debt Deal

Filed in National by on July 19, 2011 5 Comments

President Obama held a quick press briefing earlier today (guess we were all listening to the Murdoch drama) to provide an update on progress towards a debt deal.

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What the Books Look Like If We Reach our Debt Limit

Filed in National by on July 13, 2011 2 Comments

One of the astonishing things about the teajadi ambivalence over raising the debt limit is their contention that *not* raising the debt limit is not that big of a deal. Especially from the *personal responsibility* crowd who would be quick to condemn the kind of folks who overextend themselves and then decide to not pay their bills. But it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the Welfare Queen DNA is sourced in today’s GOP.

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President Obama’s Debt Deal Press Conference Today

Filed in National by on July 11, 2011 6 Comments

President Obama is scheduled to give a press conference at 11AM today to talk about the debt talks, and presumably make his case to “independent” voters. Feel free to use this thread to discuss or live blog.

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The Running of the Hypocrites

Filed in National by on February 8, 2010 8 Comments

Which is really the only name you can give the Federal government’s budget season opened by the release of President Obama’s budget blueprint last Tuesday. The plan calls for letting the BushCo tax cuts expire (except for people making less than $250K), eliminating the tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry, raising taxes on hedge fund managers; and it calls for investments in public education and college, domestic energy production, the beginning of a fund to finance health care for the uninsured. It is a pretty strong plan (I do have some reservations about some of the energy initiatives) that begins to retilt the playing field back towards the middle class.

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