Public Sees Members of Congress, Not the System, as the Problem – Pew Research Center

One of the few areas of bipartisan agreement when it comes to views of Congress is that the problem with the institution is the members themselves, not the political system. In assessing Congress, 55% of the public says they think the system can work fine, but that it’s the members that are the problem. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) Republicans, 56% of Democrats and 53% of independents share this sentiment.

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Congress Delays Political Struggle – NYTimes.com

When Congress handily passed a bill to set payroll tax rates, jobless benefits and Medicare doctors’ fees for the next two months, it seemed to end an epic …

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Payroll Tax Cut Rejected by House Republicans – NYTimes.com

The House Republican leader on Sunday flatly rejected a short-term, bipartisan Senate measure to extend a payroll tax break and unemployment insurance, setting the stage for a bitter year-end Congressional …

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Frustration with Congress Could Hurt Republican Incumbents – Pew Research Center

Public discontent with Congress has reached record levels, and the implications for incumbents in next years elections could be stark, according to the the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Dec. 7-11. Two-in-three voters say most members of Congress should be voted out of office in 2012 – the highest on record. And the number who say their own member should be replaced matches the all-time high recorded in 2010, when fully 58 members of Congress lost reelection bids – the most in any election since 1948.

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Proposed Balanced Budget Amendment Is Extreme by International Standards — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Some proponents of a constitutional balanced budget amendment argue that other developed countries’ constitutions require balanced budgets, suggesting that a balanced budget requirement for the federal government would …

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Lawmakers Trade Blame as Congressional Deficit Talks Crumble – NYTimes.com

With the hours ticking away toward a self-imposed deadline, Congressional leaders conceded Sunday that talks on a sweeping deficit agreement were near failure and braced for

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Congressional Committee at Odds on How to Cut Deficit – NYTimes.com

With time running out, members of the special Congressional deficit committee are stymied by a deep rift over whether affluent Americans should help reduce the deficit by …

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Deficit Panel Seeks to Defer Details on Raising Taxes – NYTimes.com

With a little over a week left to reach a deal, members of the Congressional deficit reduction panel are looking for an escape hatch that would let them strike an accord on revenue levels but delay until next year tough decisions about exactly how to …

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Bombs, Bridges and Jobs – NYTimes.com

A few years back Representative Barney Frank coined an apt phrase for many of his colleagues: weaponized Keynesians, defined as those who believe “that the government does not create jobs when it funds the building of bridges or …

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Deficit Panel May Need Push to Meet Deadline, Lawmakers Say – NYTimes.com

With just five weeks until its deadline, a secretive Congressional committee seeking ways to cut the federal deficit is far from a consensus, and party leaders may need to step in if they want to ensure agreement, say people involved in …

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Obama Draws More Confidence than GOP Leaders on Deficit – Pew Research Center

The public’s confidence in congressional leaders, particularly Republican leaders in Congress, has plummeted as the nation prepares for another round of deficit reduction debates. Just 35% say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Republican leaders in Congress to do the right thing when it comes to dealing with the federal budget deficit, down from 47% in May. Fully 62% say they have little or no confidence in the Republican leaders on this issue.

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10 ways to fix the budget – The Washington Post

It’s true: Deficit reduction isn’t an economic panacea. It won’t instantly boost the economy or the stock market. It won’t automatically end financial turmoil. But none of this means that we should …

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