The State of the Presidential Race – August 14, 2011

Well, the first major test of the 2012 GOP primaries is over, and the field today certainly looks different than it did on Friday. With a major candidate out of the race and another one getting in, it's becoming clear that the GOP nominee will be one of three people and yesterday's Ames Straw Poll may have altered the race for all of them. Most of all, though, we learned that this primary contest isn't going to be over quickly; with three strong candidates in the race, don't expect to know who the nominee is going to be until May or June of next year. Get excited.

Really, this is just a gratuitous amount of confetti.

Democrats Need to Bite the Bullet

Well, it looks like we may have avoided economic Armageddon. Earlier today, House and Senate GOP leaders negotiated a deal with President Obama to raise the debt ceiling through 2012 and cut approximately $3 trillion of spending from the federal budget. Predictably, House Democrats are furious that the deal includes no new revenues and many are threatening to vote against it: one of the more colorful descriptions of the deal came from Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, who called it "a sugar-coated Satan sandwich." Some Democratic analysts have predicted that this anger over what they see as capitulation from President Obama will lead to only 50-80 Democratic votes for the plan, which would leave House Speaker John Boehner in the unenviable position of pushing it through his own caucus (something he's had a bit of trouble with of late). Still, as much as it hurts, the deal could still be a win for Democrats, and more importantly it is a desperately-needed win for the country.

Emanuel Cleaver finds your lack of revenues disturbing.