Stories by Steven T. Dennis:
Dec. 10, 2012
President Barack Obama took the fiscal cliff from the tight circle of negotiators at the White House to a sprawling auto factory floor on Monday, as he continued the two-pronged public-private approach he has been using to push his plan to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Dec. 6, 2012
The adage in Washington is that if nobody is talking about what they’re really talking about, that’s a good sign for getting a deal.
Dec. 5, 2012
Whomever President Barack Obama taps to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is likely to face tough questioning from senators in both parties on the $16 trillion debt, Chinese currency issues and bank regulations, to name just a few topics.
Dec. 5, 2012
President Barack Obama told CEOs Wednesday that his insistence on higher tax rates for the wealthy was “not out of spite” but out of a need for more revenue — while warning the GOP that he would no longer allow Republicans to use the debt limit as a bargaining chip.
Dec. 4, 2012
So, does Speaker John A. Boehner’s offer of $800 billion in new tax revenue violate his pledge not to raise taxes?
Dec. 4, 2012
Governors from both parties are pushing for a quick but lasting deal to avert the fiscal cliff and they are asking that any cuts to state aid be accompanied by fewer federal mandates. Following a Tuesday meeting at the White House between President Barack Obama and members of the National Governors Association, the state executives kept their message bipartisan and vague, without endorsing any one approach or plan.
Nov. 30, 2012
Capitol Hill Republicans expressed incredulity Thursday at President Barack Obama’s opening bid in the fiscal cliff negotiations, but the White House is following a strategy that they have laid out publicly for some time now.
Nov. 27, 2012
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker John A. Boehner ripped into President Barack Obama on Tuesday for planning to take his fiscal cliff message on the road.
Nov. 26, 2012
The White House says it remains “hopeful” that the fiscal cliff will be averted, despite comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that the talks are at an “impasse.”
Nov. 22, 2012
The top four leaders in Congress gave marching orders to their staffs to start work on a deal to avert the fiscal cliff before the Thanksgiving break, and the staff got to work.
Nov. 20, 2012
House and Senate appropriators are reporting progress in their effort to hammer out an omnibus spending bill for the current fiscal year and Republican and Democratic aides are hoping it’s ready to land a slot in a crowded year-end congressional calendar.
Nov. 16, 2012
Talks to avert the year-end fiscal cliff began on a hopeful note at the White House Friday, with the top Democratic and Republican leaders leaving an hour long meeting with President Barack Obama expressing confidence that they can reach a deal and work toward a compromise marrying new revenue with spending cuts in the coming weeks.
Nov. 16, 2012
The four top leaders in Congress all expressed confidence that they could avert the fiscal cliff after Speaker John A. Boehner offered up revenue and Democrats agreed to pursue spending cuts during an hourlong meeting Friday at the White House.
Nov. 16, 2012
President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders have begun their meeting at the White House to try and resolve the fiscal cliff.
Nov. 14, 2012
President Barack Obama’s pitch for $1.6 trillion in new tax revenue from the wealthy has Republican leaders demanding major entitlement cuts even as they face the potential for a revolt among conservatives.
Nov. 14, 2012
President Barack Obama reiterated his demand for tax hikes on the wealthy Wednesday, claimed a mandate to help the middle class, and pushed back strongly against attacks on U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and his handling of the attacks in Benghazi in his first post-election press conference.
Nov. 13, 2012
A deal to avert the fiscal cliff at the end of the year will ultimately come down to talks between President Barack Obama, Speaker John A. Boehner and a handful of other top leaders — and this week may be one of the few times rank-and-file members are asked to weigh in.
Nov. 10, 2012
President Barack Obama said today he would demand tax increases on people making more than $250,000 and new stimulus measures in talks next week with Congressional leaders on averting the “fiscal cliff” at the end of the year.
Nov. 9, 2012
President Barack Obama said today he would demand tax increases on people making more than $250,000 and new stimulus measures in talks next week with Congressional leaders on averting the “fiscal cliff” at the end of the year.
Nov. 7, 2012
Voters have granted President Barack Obama another four-year term, capping the most expensive and divisive national campaign in memory and ensuring at least two more years of divided government in Washington, D.C.
Nov. 6, 2012
11:15 p.m. | President Barack Obama has defeated Mitt Romney and won re-election, capping the most expensive and divisive national campaign in memory, according to network news and Associated Press projections.
Nov. 5, 2012
Voters will make their voices heard today, but there won’t be much harmony. At the end of a long and bitter campaign season, a dissonant electorate is likely to deliver a split decision that does little beyond endorse divided ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Nov. 2, 2012
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said today that Democrats would try to block Mitt Romney’s agenda next year if he wins the presidency on Tuesday.
Nov. 1, 2012
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Barack Obama’s re-election today, highlighting the issue of climate change in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, as well as other issues, including health care, abortion and gay rights.
Oct. 31, 2012
President Barack Obama returns to the campaign trail today, joining Mitt Romney in a final sprint to Election Day as polls continue to show a tight race.
