Posted on 07/30/2011 3:02:36 PM PDT by Qbert
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Saturday he and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are fully engaged with the White House on a debt deal and expressed optimism an agreement will be reached.
“I’ve spoken with the president and the vice president within the last hour and a half," McConnell said at a press conference with Boehner shortly after the House rejected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) debt-ceiling plan.
"We are now fully engaged with the one person … who can sign a bill into law,” McConnell told reporters.
Fewer than three days before the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, McConnell insisted that the economic doomsday scenario would not happen. Faced with questions about whether soldiers would receive paychecks, McConnell said a deal would be made.
“Our country is not going to default for the first time in our history – that is not going to happen – we now have a level of seriousness and the right people at the table that we needed and thought we had, as the Speaker indicated last week,” McConnell said.
McConnell added that he is “confident and optimistic that we can get an agreement in the very near future and resolve this crisis.”
McConnell spoke hours after House Republicans rejected Reid's plan and less than a day after Senate Democrats dispatched with Boehner's plan.
The end game on the debt deal now appears to revolve around talks between McConnell, Reid and President Obama.
Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) traveled to the White House for a meeting with Obama late Saturday afternoon.
The tricky part for the congressional leaders remains finding a bill that can move through both chambers, including a House dominated by Tea Party freshman Republicans.
McConnell said at his press briefing that he had talked with Obama and Vice President Biden on a way forward. Top ranking leaders in the House and Senate are "discussing ways to reach an agreement," McConnell said.
Boehner, who walked out on talks with the White House more than a week ago, agreed that a deal would come together soon.
He said “in spite of our differences, we are dealing with reasonable, responsible people who want this crisis to end as quickly as possible, and I’m confident that it will.”
Reid's proposal was defeated in a 173-246, with 11 Democrats joining House Republicans in voting down the measure.
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
Reid on McConnell: I say, as respectfully as I can to my friend, the sr sen from KY, the process has not been moved forward during this day.
44 minutes ago
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Chad Pergram
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
The Motion to Instruct the Sergeant at Arms to Request the attendance of Absent Senators is agreed to by a vote of 75 to 20.
55 minutes ago
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Chad Pergram
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
Boehner has left the Capitol. Has not gone to the White House. Senior staff say there’s no White House meeting planned.
1 hour ago
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Chad Pergram
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
Quorum not present in the Senate. So they’re now voting on the Motion to Instruct the Sgt at Arms to request the attendance of absent sens.
1 hour ago
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Chad Pergram
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
Senate begins live quorum in the Senate.
chucktodd Chuck Todd
Reid is trying to leverage in final talks by keeping his bill alive, and by trying to pick off indv senate gopers.
24 minutes ago
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Chuck Todd
chucktodd Chuck Todd
Even at this late hour, there’s a “leverage” game going on with McConnell trying to get Reid bill off table so he can keep his conf united
25 minutes ago
If there were ever two people who absolutely have no business negotiating with his imperial majesty, it is these two losers. All they know how to do is support the elitist Republican establishment portion of the ruling class. I predict that there will be tokens cuts, like the CR, no balanced budget, and the POTUS walks away with a fully monetized slush fund to buy all the votes he needs for 2012. MCCONNELL AND BOEHNER MUST BE REPLACED IF THEY GET THE SAME RESULTS AS THEIR BEST EFFORT ON THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
I think what they come up with will be hated by the left and right. Therefore in the House some hard core Dems will vote against it and all the tea party guys will vote against it. It will pass by the squishy middle.
Aside from the calls to the senators offices, the Sgt. At Arms is also speed dialing the favorite bars and restaurants in the vicinity of Capitol Hill. In the late 60's John Mandis' Market Inn had a bronze ship's bell to sound the quorum calls, IIRC one bell for the Sen, and two for the House. Whereupon, the Maitre D' informed the parking valets to notify chauffers that their charges needed to be poured into the limos so that the drunks could vote. Public servants indeed.
I know exactly what should be done to those four, but unfortunately they put you jail for expressing such an opinion! I hope McConnell rots in hell for eternity! They’re all pricks!
It will pass by the squishy middle
You mean the squishy middle who carried all the water in the 2010 elections?
For the life of me, I can’t figure out how anyone can be against a balanced budget amendment. It would be the poll in the ground that steadies the system. It would force libs to have a tax fight if they wanted biger government and...to be fair.....it would force the GOP to have a spending cut fight if revenues were real low and they didn’t want to have a revenue increase. In conclusion, it would force people to make difficult decsions and have unpleasant arguments that may rist their careers. This is what America needs. It’s the one part of this fiasco we’ve all witnessed that I truely believe would make a difference...be transformative....and it just gets just down. This is the great shame for the Dems. This needs to be exploited next election.
After it is declared a success by both sides we will find out all cuts are paper cuts and government continues to suck on the breast of borrowed $$$
OK Truth, I’ll take u up on a bet. Are u in?
Here’s my Bet. The final bill that Bonehead votes on (The Sham Reid/McConnell Compromise Bill that will soon come)
Will be carried by a majority of Hard Line Liberal votes from safe RAT Districts.
You say it will be carried by the mushy middle.
If u win, I’ll make another donation of $50 to FR.
If I win, You make a Donation of $50 To FR.
What I am talking about is the NO votes on the RAT side, not the whole house. And I am proposing a simple majority of RAT no votes.
i.e. if 40 RATS vote for the final final, final more final bill 21 of them will be from RAT safe districts which I mean HARD LINE RAT districts.
Are u up for it?
OK Truth, I’ll take u up on a bet. Are u in?
Here’s my Bet. The final bill that Bonehead votes on (The Sham Reid/McConnell Compromise Bill that will soon come)
Will be carried by a majority of Hard Line Liberal votes from safe RAT Districts.
You say it will be carried by the mushy middle.
If u win, I’ll make another donation of $50 to FR.
If I win, You make a Donation of $50 To FR.
What I am talking about is the NO votes on the RAT side, not the whole house. And I am proposing a simple majority of RAT no votes.
i.e. if 40 RATS vote for the final final, final more final bill 21 of them will be from RAT safe districts which I mean HARD LINE RAT districts.
Are u up for it?
“We are now fully engaged with the one person … who can sign a bill into law,” McConnell told reporters”
Thank God AOTUS is a reasonable kind of “guy”
The GOP will never change, they have no intention of actually ending the Welfare State, they only want to run it.
Who's representing the House?
A better question might be, who is representing the American People and the Constitution?
The GOP and the Democrats share the same basic assumptions, although they each want a cut of the loot for their respective homies.
That’s why they both hate the Tea Party caucus - they’re not confident that the Tea Partiers want to play DC Monopoly.
Pelosi was this afternoon....
They'd probably debate over which would be the submissive and which would be dominant in the relationship. Hint: The boys should switch hit because that's what they= do in the Senate.
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