ALL AROUND THE USA

Obama’s “Inept” Leadership On Debt Ceiling Debate Has Left His Party And Presidency In A “Diminished State”

OBAMA’S LACK OF LEADERSHIP ON DEBT DEBATE

“ONE OF THE LOWER POINTS OF HIS PRESIDENCY”

MEANWHILE REPUBLICANS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY REINED IN SPENDING IN VICTORY FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE

The New York Times: “The White House And The Senate May Be Controlled By Democrats, But The Debate Unfolded Squarely On Republican Turf.”(Jeff Zeleny, “After Protracted Fight, Both Sides Emerge Bruised,” The New York Times, 7/31/11)

The Wall Street Journal: “The big picture is that the deal is a victory for the cause of smaller government, arguably the biggest since welfare reform in 1996.”(Editorial, “A Tea Party Triumph,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/31/11)

·       WSJ: “If the cuts hold, this would go some way to erasing the fiscal damage from the Obama-Nancy Pelosi stimulus. This is no small achievement considering that Republicans control neither the Senate nor the White House, and it underscores how much the GOP victory in November has reshaped the U.S. fiscal debate.”(Editorial, “A Tea Party Triumph,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/31/11)

The Associated Press: “Yet by most accounts, Boehner and his Republicans have already won on policy, forcing a national conversation about debt and pushing Obama to focus on historic spending cuts and drop demands for new taxes.” (Erica Werner, “Fight Over Debt Tests Leadership Of Obama, Boehner,” The Associated Press, 7/30/11)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “All that said, the bill that’s poised to arrive at the Oval Office looks a heckuva lot more like what the House GOP demanded than the clean bill Obama first requested, or the ‘balanced [read: tax-laden] approach’ he later championed.” (Kyle Wingfield, “Debt-Ceiling Deal: An Incremental But Indisputable Win For The GOP,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/31/11)

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO): "‘If I were a Republican, this is a night to party.” (Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown, “Debt Deal Complicates Liberals’ Support,” Politico, 8/1/11)

Time:“Still, Democrats argue that Republicans got almost everything they wanted in the end.” (Jay Netwon-Small, “With Debt Deal Reached, Can Congress Swallow Its Own Bitter Medicine?,” Time’s “Swampland,” 8/1/11)

Roll Call: “With time running out to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling before Tuesday’s default deadline, Obama moved dramatically in the direction of the GOP, according to Senators and aides in both parties.” (Steven Dennis, “Debt Deal Emerging With Rightward Tilt,” Roll Call, 8/1/11)

·       Roll Call: “As details trickled out Sunday, the deal framework appeared to give Republicans most of what they were seeking ...” (Steven Dennis, “Debt Deal Emerging With Rightward Tilt,” Roll Call, 8/1/11)

The Washington Post:“[A]s far as the bigger picture goes, the advantage goes to the Republicans, who will have for the first time transformed a routine vote to raise the federal borrowing limit into an opportunity to deliver on their pledge to reduce the size of government.” (Felicia Sonmez, “Debt Deal Presents Small Wins For Democrats, Big Victory For GOP – And Large Gamble For Obama,” The Washington Post’s “2Chambers,” 7/31/11) Research: www.gop.com