The Plum Line: sequester


Posted at 04:08 PM ET, 04/24/2013

House liberals demand meeting with Obama on Chained CPI
By Greg Sargent
The left is not going to allow any Grand Bargain without putting up a major fight.

By Greg Sargent  |  04:08 PM ET, 04/24/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:38 PM ET, 04/22/2013

Yup: Cutting spending means you have to cut spending
By Jonathan Bernstein
Republicans claim the sequester is a great victory for them, while blaming every individual sequester cut they don't like on President Obama.

By Jonathan Bernstein  |  04:38 PM ET, 04/22/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:25 PM ET, 04/05/2013

House liberal leader: Say No to the Grand Bargain
By Greg Sargent
Dem Rep. Raul Griljalva vows to vote No on any grand bargain containing Chained CPI, and says in the end, the sequester may be less awful than any bad deal.

By Greg Sargent  |  04:25 PM ET, 04/05/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:17 PM ET, 04/05/2013

Another moment of real clarity in the fiscal debate
By Greg Sargent
Obama manages to demonstrate once again that there is literally nothing he could offer Republicans -- even things they themselves have said they want -- to induce them to compromise.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:17 PM ET, 04/05/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:54 AM ET, 04/04/2013

The limits of the Democrats' sequester strategy
By Greg Sargent
A new poll finds that the number of Americans who think the sequester is hurting the economy is going down. Not what Democrats predicted.

By Greg Sargent  |  11:54 AM ET, 04/04/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 05:04 PM ET, 04/03/2013

White House allies roll out campaign on sequester
By Greg Sargent
The big question is whether the sequester will turn being the party of long term austerity into an untenable political posture.

By Greg Sargent  |  05:04 PM ET, 04/03/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:22 PM ET, 03/29/2013

The GOP's fiscal farce
By Greg Sargent
Republicans who voted for the Paul Ryan budget, which would wipe out huge chunks of the federal government, are now chafing at sequester cuts to obscure programs.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:22 PM ET, 03/29/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 02:59 PM ET, 03/28/2013

Republicans decry sequester cuts while hailing sequester as victory
By Greg Sargent
It's hard to see how it's coherent for Republicans to claim the sequester as a big victory even as they decry its impact and acknowledge it needs to be replaced.

By Greg Sargent  |  02:59 PM ET, 03/28/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:59 PM ET, 03/25/2013

Michele Bachmann, ardent foe of spending cuts (in her district)
By Greg Sargent
Not even the ardently anti-government-spending congresswoman likes the sequester.

By Greg Sargent  |  04:59 PM ET, 03/25/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 03/21/2013

Welcome to Sequestration Nation
By Greg Sargent
Headlines from around the country show that the sequester is genuinely beginning to take a toll on communities around the country.

By Greg Sargent  |  04:23 PM ET, 03/21/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 12:13 PM ET, 03/20/2013

On sequester, liberals face a dilemma
By Greg Sargent
Which is worse -- extended sequestration, or a grand bargain that cuts entitlement benefits? Progressives may soon have to answer that question.

By Greg Sargent  |  12:13 PM ET, 03/20/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 06:28 PM ET, 03/17/2013

A moment of real clarity in the fiscal debate
By Greg Sargent
Top Republican leaders admit that there is no ratio of entitlement cuts of their own choosing to new revenues they are willing to accept. Clear now?

By Greg Sargent  |  06:28 PM ET, 03/17/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:23 PM ET, 03/13/2013

Republicans say they want entitlement cuts. But they want Dems to own them.
By Greg Sargent
The GOP says they want entitlement cuts. But it want Dems to own them.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:23 PM ET, 03/13/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 09:19 AM ET, 03/13/2013

The Morning Plum: No, the GOP isn't "winning" the argument over sequester
By Greg Sargent
A new poll finds that solid majorities reject every main conservative argument about the sequester -- which casts doubt on the notion that Republicans are "winning" the argument over it.

By Greg Sargent  |  09:19 AM ET, 03/13/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Morning Plum, sequester

Posted at 05:27 PM ET, 03/11/2013

Bernie Sanders: Just say No to any entitlement benefits cuts
By Greg Sargent
Liberal Democrats are insisting that a grand bargain is a nonstarter. But what if the choices are narrowed down to just a deal or indefinite sequestration? How should liberals proceed?

By Greg Sargent  |  05:27 PM ET, 03/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:24 PM ET, 03/11/2013

GOP triumphalism about the sequester is premature
By Greg Sargent
A new poll shows yet again that Americans say they love cutting government spending in the abstract, but oppose it for programs they like. That's the context in which the sequester fight is unfolding.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:24 PM ET, 03/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:37 PM ET, 03/08/2013

Beltway bubble insulated from reality of sequester
By Greg Sargent
Real people around the country are beginning to tune into the possibility that these spending cuts could do real damage to their communities and to the country's economic recovery.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:37 PM ET, 03/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  barack obama, budget, sequester

Posted at 01:01 PM ET, 03/08/2013

GOP fantasies about entitlements
By Greg Sargent
The central fact about our fiscal showdown is this: There is no route to a resolution that doesn't involve Republicans compromising on revenues.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:01 PM ET, 03/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:06 PM ET, 03/06/2013

Dems settle in for war of attrition against GOP
By Greg Sargent
Dems settle in for war of attrition against GOP

By Greg Sargent  |  01:06 PM ET, 03/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:19 AM ET, 03/04/2013

Pundits blowing it on sequester debate
By Greg Sargent
In the quest to prove that Obama is to blame for the sequester standoff, Bill Keller of the New York Times commits a straight up factual error.

By Greg Sargent  |  11:19 AM ET, 03/04/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:34 PM ET, 03/01/2013

What to look for next in the sequester wars
By Greg Sargent
Dems are hoping that GOP unity will fracture as the bite of the sequester sinks in.

By Greg Sargent  |  04:34 PM ET, 03/01/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 02:01 PM ET, 03/01/2013

Our deeply unbalanced fiscal debate
By Greg Sargent
There is nothing that will get some folks in Washington to reckon with the true nature of the GOP position on the sequester.

By Greg Sargent  |  02:01 PM ET, 03/01/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:56 AM ET, 03/01/2013

Republicans will own economic damage done by sequester
By Greg Sargent
Some House Republicans are claiming that the sequester cuts are a victory for them -- even as other Republicans say they'll damage the economy.

By Greg Sargent  |  11:56 AM ET, 03/01/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 04:43 PM ET, 02/28/2013

We're headed for the sequester -- but it won't even do much to reduce the deficit.
By Jamelle Bouie
The argument over which should be prioritized -- the deficit, or jobs and economic growth -- has already been lost.

By Jamelle Bouie  |  04:43 PM ET, 02/28/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:29 PM ET, 02/28/2013

Pelosi: When Dems communicate their values clearly, they win
By Greg Sargent
The Dem leader reflects on the Dems' victory in fight over the Violence Against Women Act, and acknowledges that the sequester battle will be a lot more challenging.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:29 PM ET, 02/28/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Democrats, sequester

Posted at 11:50 AM ET, 02/27/2013

AFL-CIO: Time to repeal the sequester
By Greg Sargent
We need more voices demanding a focus on unemployment and growth, rather than on the deficit.

By Greg Sargent  |  11:50 AM ET, 02/27/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 02:59 PM ET, 02/26/2013

Why White House is content to wait Republicans out
By Greg Sargent
Democrats don't have any incentive to do anything other than just allow the GOP's divisions to deepen.

By Greg Sargent  |  02:59 PM ET, 02/26/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:01 PM ET, 02/26/2013

Americans hate government, but they'll hate deep spending cuts even more
By Greg Sargent
A new study to be released today will show that the sequester will cut more deeply into government services than many Republicans claim.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:01 PM ET, 02/26/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 05:14 PM ET, 02/25/2013

It's as if the election never happened
By Jonathan Bernstein
If Republicans are going to continue acting as if it's still 2011, then we're not going to be able to make governing progress.

By Jonathan Bernstein  |  05:14 PM ET, 02/25/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Republicans, sequester

Posted at 04:34 PM ET, 02/22/2013

Nope: People really, really don't like spending cuts
By Jonathan Bernstein
People see the GOP as the party of spending cuts, which will make it harder to win the blame game over the sequester.

By Jonathan Bernstein  |  04:34 PM ET, 02/22/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 05:01 PM ET, 02/21/2013

Don't bite on GOP's clever sequester trick, Dems
By Greg Sargent
Democrats should not accept anything from Republicans other than genuine compromise on the need for new revenues.

By Greg Sargent  |  05:01 PM ET, 02/21/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 02:12 PM ET, 02/20/2013

Senate Dems look past sequester to government shutdown fight
By Greg Sargent
Democrats are increasingly pessimistic about the sequester, but they see the government shutdown deadline as an opportunity to force GOP concessions on revenues.

By Greg Sargent  |  02:12 PM ET, 02/20/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  government shutdown, sequester

Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 02/20/2013

New study badly undermines GOP position on sequester
By Greg Sargent
A new study badly undermines the party’s position.

By Greg Sargent  |  12:02 PM ET, 02/20/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:31 PM ET, 02/19/2013

GOP "makeover" hits a snag: Unwillingness to change
By Greg Sargent
If Republicans want to shed their image as slavishly devoted to the rich, they will need to stop making opposition to any new taxes from the rich their top priority.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:31 PM ET, 02/19/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 02/19/2013

GOP's sequester shenanigans carry risks for 2014
By Jamelle Bouie
Yes, Obama will take some of the blame if the sequester damages the economy. But Republicans could pay a larger price at the polls next year.

By Jamelle Bouie  |  11:45 AM ET, 02/19/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  congress, Obama, Republicans, sequester

Posted at 04:15 PM ET, 02/18/2013

When the sequester hits
By Jonathan Bernstein
Could the cuts in the sequester be enough to get voters outraged? If so, it's hard to see how "we need more cuts than this" is a winning hand.

By Jonathan Bernstein  |  04:15 PM ET, 02/18/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  budget, sequester

Posted at 03:28 PM ET, 02/15/2013

How Republicans can win the sequester fight
By Greg Sargent
All they need to do is not say No to the easiest route to a win available to them.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:28 PM ET, 02/15/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:54 PM ET, 02/14/2013

GOP approach to sequester jumps shark
By Greg Sargent
Republicans offer Dems a choice: The sequester, or deeper cuts than the Ryan plan. Good luck with that one.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:54 PM ET, 02/14/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:10 PM ET, 02/11/2013

No end to the GOP's fiscal gimmickry
By Greg Sargent
The approach by the two parties to the sequester is deeply, fundamentally imbalanced. If this latest GOP proposal is not enough to drive this home, nothing will.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:10 PM ET, 02/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:32 PM ET, 02/08/2013

Dems close in on sequester strategy
By Greg Sargent
Senate Democrats will offer Republicans a plan to avert the sequester that balances spending cuts and revenue increases, and dare them to oppose it.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:32 PM ET, 02/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:12 PM ET, 02/08/2013

Don't fall for GOP's sequester bluff
By Greg Sargent
The Republican threat to let the sequester happen is not tenable or believable.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:12 PM ET, 02/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:16 AM ET, 02/08/2013

On the sequester, the only way to win is not to play
By Jamelle Bouie
The best hope we have at a sustained recovery is refraining from more austerity.

By Jamelle Bouie  |  11:16 AM ET, 02/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 01:11 PM ET, 02/07/2013

Dems will offer GOP spending cuts to avert doom
By Greg Sargent
Dems are not proposing only new revenues; they are proposing a mix of revenues and spending cuts. By contrast, the GOP is insisting only on cuts.

By Greg Sargent  |  01:11 PM ET, 02/07/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:07 PM ET, 02/06/2013

The party of Reagan, or the party of the Club for Growth?
By Greg Sargent
The battle over the sequester has exposed the rift between defense Republicans and anti-tax Republicans.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:07 PM ET, 02/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 11:58 AM ET, 02/06/2013

The absurdity of the GOP position on spending, in one chart
By Greg Sargent
The way to avoid the sequester is clear: Republicans need to agree to compromise on new revenues. And if they do, they'll even get the spending cuts they want, too!

By Greg Sargent  |  11:58 AM ET, 02/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 12:04 PM ET, 01/31/2013

We all agree that spending cuts hurt the economy. Right? Right.
By Greg Sargent
Republicans themselves previously admitted that the threatened sequestered cuts could deeply damage the recovery.

By Greg Sargent  |  12:04 PM ET, 01/31/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  sequester

Posted at 03:50 PM ET, 01/30/2013

Puzzling GOP logic on the sequester
By Greg Sargent
It's hard to see how the news that deep defense cuts hurt the economy gives the GOP leverage in the sequester fight.

By Greg Sargent  |  03:50 PM ET, 01/30/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Republicans, sequester