Comments on: Can Washington Matter? The Case Against the Supercommittee

By: Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Jeffrey C. Goldfarb — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:28:00 +0000

In his previous post, Armstrong explained the opportunity that the supercommittee provided:

http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/08/bipartisanships-last-stand-what-does-the-debt-deal-mean-for-legislators/ .

He speculated that the capacity for it to take advantage of the opportunity would depend on who was appointed. He now is clearly disappointed. Nonetheless, the basic facts remain, as you point out, those in the middle can still make something happen and it may not be as limited as Armstrong thinks. Rationality may still prevail, though it doesn’t seem to be in fashion in Washington, particularly in important segments of the Republican Party.

By: Casey E. Armstrong

Casey E. Armstrong — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:58:00 +0000

Scott, while I agree that it only takes a small coalition to come to an agreement, I’m concerned more with the content of that agreement — whether it has the ability to rise to the significant challenges that have been posed to the committee. The Senate has always passed, with incredible regularity (the recent years being an historical abberation), modest compromises. If it now takes a joint committee with almost unprecedented powers to reach those same compromises, I think that’s a unnerving sign. The appointment of a Jeb Hensarling may or may not be a symptom, rather than a cause, of this partisanship — either way it bodes poorly for the ability of the committee to solve the problems set before it.

By: Scott Dodelson

Scott Dodelson — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:45:00 +0000

Both sides accuse the other’s choices as too partisan, but the appointment of, say, Murray on the left and Hensarling on the right seems irrelevant. These appeal to their respective bases but will have no impact on the final agreement, which will be dictated by the people in the middle: Kerry, Portman and possibly Camp/Upton. It takes only a majority of one so the screamers on either end really don’t matter, do they?