memeorandum: McConnell Sees Deal “Very Close”; Focus Is on Triggers for Cuts (The Caucus)

12:30 PM ET, July 31, 2011

Top Items:

Congressional Sources: Republicans and Democrats Reach Tentative Debt Deal — ABC News' Jonathan Karl (@JonKarl) reports: — Democratic and Republican Congressional sources involved in the negotiations tell ABC News that a tentative agreement has been reached on the framework of a deal …

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com:

Outlines of Debt Compromise Emerge — An announcement could come as early as Sunday afternoon. — Here are the outlines of a debt-ceiling deal that congressional leaders and the Obama White House are firming up in preparation for a possible announcement as early as Sunday afternoon.

Discussion: TPMDC, Maggie's Notebook, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, Betsy's Page, Outside the Beltway, Patterico's Pontifications, Sky Dancing, The Atlantic Online, Weekly Standard and Viking Pundit

The Note:

Caution on Capitol Hill: ‘Nothing Is Agreed to Until Everything Is Agreed to’ — ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: — There is caution on Capitol Hill about a tentative deal being reached. — As the mantra here goes, “nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.”

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite and Hot Air

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

A deal comes together — Two senior Republican offices have confirmed that while the outlines of a debt-ceiling deal are in place, no “paper” has been exchanged. The agreement would take the country through the 2012 election, but the Boehner bill two-step cutting process would remain.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Riehl World View

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

McConnell: 'We're very close' to a deal — Washington (CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday that a deal to raise the debt ceiling is “very close.” — Appearing on CNN's “State of the Union,” the Kentucky senator said Republicans and Democrats “made dramatic progress” …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Note, Outside the Beltway, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and The Hill

The Caucus:

McConnell Sees Deal “Very Close”; Focus Is on Triggers for Cuts — WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Sunday morning that he was “very close” to recommending to his members that they sign on to a debt deal with President Obama and the Democrats.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Dems, GOP Float Eye-Popping Debt Limit Compromise — Very late on Saturday, multiple reports sketched out the framework of a debt limit compromise President Obama has struck with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). — As noted here, the issue under contention was the design of a so-called …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Note, Washington Post, Hullabaloo and The Daily Caller

Heidi Przybyla / Bloomberg:
White House, Republicans Said to Reach Tentative Deal on U.S. Debt Ceiling

Discussion: CBS News, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, American Power, NationalJournal.com and The Agonist

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Amid New Talks, Some Optimism on Debt Crisis

Discussion: Firedoglake, Politics, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, Prairie Weather, TalkLeft, AMERICAblog News, Calculated Risk and U.S. Senate Republican …

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
BREAKING: Dems Delay Debt Limit Test Vote

Discussion: Open Congress, Salon, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, New York Times and Booman Tribune

Michelle Malkin:
Saturday night Kabuki bickerfest; Update: Sunday Senate Vote Pushed Back to 1pm; Backroom deal details emerge

Discussion: The Politico, USA Today, PoliPundit.com, The Hill, theblogprof, The Other McCain, Firedoglake and AmSpecBlog

CNN:
Democrats, Republicans disagree on state of debt talks

Discussion: The Politico, Sky Dancing, CANNONFIRE and Pajamas Media

The Note:
Reid Dismisses GOP Letter Against His Bill, Says His Bill Is ‘Only Game In Town’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Stanley B. Greenberg / New York Times:

Why Voters Tune Out Democrats — Stanley B. Greenberg is the chief executive of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a polling company that works with center-left political parties in the United States and abroad. — BARACK OBAMA can't catch a break from the American public on the economy …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Daily Kos and Suburban Guerrilla

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Tempest in a Tea Party — SO I was chatting with Chris Coons, the new Democratic senator from Delaware who had a rare win over the Tea Party when he beat loony Christine “I've Dabbled in Witchcraft but I Am Not a Witch” O'Donnell in the midterms. — Coons is a smart guy who's alarmed …

Discussion: The Greenroom, Reuters, Weasel Zippers and Althouse

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Rep. McCotter calls for a truce between Republicans, Tea Party

Discussion: Riehl World View, Outside the Beltway and sisu

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

Compromise In The Works — The rumored deals flying around Washington today all sound pretty bad. And how could they not be? The White House started with a position that: … But (1) and (3) were in significant tension. The White House strategy for getting (3) was to persuade the public that (3) was the correct position.

Discussion: Grasping Reality …

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Bring Back Poppy — WATCHING today's Republicans being led around by an extremist Tea Party faction, with no adult supervision, I find my mind drifting back to the late 1980s when I was assigned to cover the administration of George H.W. Bush, who I believe is one of our most underrated presidents.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Weasel Zippers

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Rightward Tilt Leaves Obama With Party Rift — WASHINGTON — However the debt limit showdown ends, one thing is clear: under pressure from Congressional Republicans, President Obama has moved rightward on budget policy, deepening a rift within his party heading into the next election.

Discussion: The Note, Corrente, CNN and The Agonist

Seung Min Kim / The Politico:

Pelosi: Boehner went to ‘dark side’ — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn't mince words on Speaker John Boehner's efforts on the debt ceiling, whipping out a Star Wars reference on the House floor Saturday. — Instead of working out a compromise with Democrats, she said on the House floor …