Deficit-reduction math is all about counting congressional noses

[TomClash]

By Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau
July 8, 2011, 5:32 p.m.

Reporting from Washington— As congressional leaders and the White House work to strike a historic deficit-reduction deal, the debate is not over how to cut trillions of dollars, but rather what combination of proposals will deliver the votes needed to pass Congress.

Negotiators are quickly finding that in today's Congress — particularly in the highly polarized House of Representatives — almost any move that attracts one group of votes repels others.

President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) have pushed for a so-called "grand bargain" that would reduce long-term deficits by $4 trillion or more over a decade. They believe that a package of historic dimensions might be easier for some members to support than a smaller deal.

But as congressional leaders tested that proposition Friday, they found obstacles at nearly every turn.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-debt-ceiling-20110709,0,7106727.story