The Price of Politics (63 page)

Budget Control Act,
322
,
325
,
355
–56,
359
,
366

final votes on,
355
–56

and firewall placement,
348
–55

framework of,
304
,
307
–8,
316
,
322

and House vote on initial bill,
230
,
304
,
324
–25,
329
,
332

joint public statement on,
310
–11

and Obama,
305
–13,
315
–20,
323
–28,
330
–38,
350
–55

presidential veto, consequences of,
331
–38

Reid’s competing plan,
311
,
319
,
320
–27,
342
–44

and Republican members of congress,
308
–10,
311
,
315
,
322
,
324
–25,
330
,
332

and Senate tabling of vote on initial bill,
330
,
332
,
333
,
342

sequestration as trigger mechanism in exchange for second-step debt limit increase,
339
–46

and short-term versus long-term extension of debt limit,
308
,
311
–12,
316
,
318
,
320
–21,
332
,
335
,
337
,
340
–46,
349

trigger mechanism,
310
,
339
–46

Conrad, Kent,
27
–29,
31
,
32
,
36
,
37
–38,
41
,
88
,
171
–73,
252

Constitutional spending limits (balanced budget amendment),
96
,
117
,
212
,
308
,
330
,
347

Consumer Price Index (CPI),
59
–60,
138
,
163
,
177
,
242
,
287

continuing resolutions on the budget,
88
,
92
–95,
333

Corker, Bob,
117

corporate jets, tax breaks for,
138
,
140
,
152
,
154
,
158
,
162
,
193

corporate tax reform,
48
,
50
–51,
138
,
141
,
152
,
173
,
211
,
242

CPI (Consumer Price Index),
59
–60,
138
,
163
,
177
,
242
,
287

Crapo, Mike,
252
,
256
,
260

Cuban Missile Crisis,
349
,
350

Daley, Richard J.,
88

Daley, Richard M.,
88

Daley, William (Bill),
88
,
95

and Boehner,
92
,
374
,
375

and Boehner-Obama negotiations on debt ceiling crisis (June-July 2011),
146
,
161
,
178
,
183

as Clinton veteran,
88
,
90

and congressional plan on debt ceiling crisis (July 2011),
304
,
316
,
331
,
332
,
350

congressional plan veto, at meeting on consequences of,
331
,
332

and continuing resolutions on the budget,
92
,
95

and free trade agreements,
108

and Gang of Six,
253
,
256
,
257

at George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011),
103

and payroll tax cut two-month extension (December 2011),
367

and Pelosi,
151
,
304

on proposed Sperling-Boehner meeting,
235

and sequestration trigger,
344

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
236
,
237
,
238
,
240
,
243
,
251
,
272
,
296

Dayspring, Brad,
143
,
225

debt ceiling crisis.
See also
Biden working group on long-term debt resolution; congressional plan on debt ceiling crisis; supercommittee; trigger mechanism

and Asian financial markets,
305
,
348

Boehner-Obama negotiations on (June-July 2011),
132
,
134
,
135
–36,
143
–47,
150
–51,
154
–60,
162
–69,
174
–78,
180
–86,
192
,
361
,
378
,
379

and bond markets,
105
,
114

business and financial communities on,
96

and Conrad,
28
–29,
36
,
88

constraints on Obama regarding,
187
–89

and default risk,
188
,
189
,
210
,
220
,
230
,
234
,
305
,
327
–28,
331
–38,
345

and downgrading of U.S. credit rating,
210
,
284
,
324
,
327
,
333

drop dead date on,
100
,
244
,
278
,
305

14th Amendment option,
327
,
328

and George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011),
99
–107,
114

“global cascade,” Obama’s concerns over,
227

joint congressional leadership meetings with Obama on

April 13, 2011,
101
,
102

July 10, 2011,
189
–97

July 11, 2011,
201
–7

July 12, 2011,
209
–16

July 13, 2011 presidential pre-briefing,
218
–19

July 13, 2011,
220
–25

July 14, 2011,
229
–34

Republican frustration with,
197
–98,
199
–201,
217
,
234

lame-duck session of 2010, failure to address problem in,
80

McConnell plan for president to unilaterally raise debt ceiling,
210
–11,
233
,
234
–35,
295
,
307
,
346

media reports on,
96
,
179
–80,
181
,
184
,
207

Pelosi meeting with Obama on,
139
–40,
151
–53

Plan B on

Boehner’s Plan B,
169
,
182
,
233
,
235
,
254
,
258
,
278
,
288
,
294
–95,
298
,
299

Obama’s lack of,
313
,
315
,
317
,
337

and Republican Party,
87
–88,
96
,
187
–88,
189
,
208
,
210
–11

as “Rubik’s cube problem,”
279
,
294
,
305
,
346
,
355

short-term versus long-term debt limit extension,
155
,
161
,
200
,
218
–19,
224
–27,
233
,
238
,
240
,
285
,
288
,
308
,
311
–12,
316
,
318
,
320
–21,
332
,
335
,
337
,
340
–46,
349

and Tea Party,
102
,
122
,
135
–36

two-step proposals on,
237
–38,
240
,
295
,
312
,
318
,
319
,
332

White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations

July 15, 2011 meeting,
236
–39

July 17, 2011 meeting,
240
–50

July 18, 2011 meeting,
251

July 20, 2011 meeting,
260
–68

July 21, 2011 meeting,
269
–72,
275

Boehner’s failure to return Obama’s phone calls,
290
,
293
–94,
296
–301,
303

calculation of potential votes for,
274
–75,
290
–92

collapse of (July 22, 2011),
293
–303

and Gang of Six,
251
–60,
262
,
270
,
271
,
276
,
278
,
280
,
281
–82,
289

meeting of Obama with Pelosi and Reid on,
283
–88

and phone conversation between Boehner and Obama (July 21, 2011),
276
–80,
288
,
302
,
378
–79

and Senate Democratic Policy lunch (July 21, 2011),
270
–71,
272
–74,
291

decoupling

and Boehner-Obama negotiations (June-July 2011),
144
,
146
–47,
184
–85

and budget proposals,
34
–35,
41

at joint congressional leadership meetings with Obama

November 2010,
64

July 2011,
190
–91,
193
,
195
,
212
–13,
215

in lame duck session (December 2010),
69
–72

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations (July 2011),
261
,
264
,
265
,
266
,
269
,
272
–73,
284
,
290

default crisis.
See
debt ceiling crisis

Defense Department,
94
,
118
,
173
,
223
,
326

Defense spending cuts,
59
,
68
,
94
,
101
,
113
,
115
,
118
,
120
,
127
,
128
,
142
,
173
,
203
–4,
222
–23,
292
,
315
,
326
,
339
,
344
,
346
,
348
–55,
360

deficit.
See also
Biden working group on long-term debt resolution; Simpson-Bowles commission

Conrad on,
27
–29,
32

failure to solve problem of,
379
–80

$4 trillion deficit reduction plans,
59
,
96
,
97
,
100
,
112
,
114
–15,
125
,
134
,
167
,
168
,
179
,
190
,
366

George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011) on,
99
–107,
114

and presidential budget proposal,
30
–35,
41

under Ryan plan,
86
–87

and stimulus package,
5
,
20

tax cut extension, costs of,
78
,
79

3 percent of GDP proposal,
33
–34,
113

DeLay, Tom,
157

Dimon, Jamie,
81
,
96

disability insurance,
81

discretionary spending,
94
,
113
,
160
,
165
,
190
,
204
–5,
211
,
216
,
221
–22,
226
,
231
–32,
260
,
263
,
265
–66,
307
,
320

Dole, Bob,
377

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, repeal of,
77
,
79

Douglas, Michael,
301

downgrading of U.S. credit rating,
210
,
284
,
324
,
327
,
333

DREAM Act,
65

Dreams from My Father
(Obama, 2004),
3

DuPage County, Illinois,
2

Durbin, Dick,
8
,
101
,
190
,
193
,
201
–2,
203
,
216
,
223
,
230
,
234
,
252

dynamic scoring of federal budget,
101

earmark reform,
25
–27

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC),
76

education cuts,
201
,
204
,
205
,
214
,
221
,
263
,
265
,
269

EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit),
76

elections

of 2008,
3
,
18
,
25
,
73
,
89
,
92
,
224

of 2010,
57
–58,
61
,
76
,
156

of 2012,
64
,
91
,
124
,
136
,
140
,
152
,
168
,
188
,
189
,
193
,
194
,
197
,
219
,
233
,
237
,
240
,
265
,
290
,
308
,
311
–12,
316
,
340
,
357