memeorandum: Griping begins as debt deal specifics emerge (Jake Sherman/The Politico)

7:40 PM ET, July 31, 2011

Top Items:

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Reid Agrees To Major Debt Limit Deal — Here's What He's Signed Off On — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has signed off on a deal to raise the debt limit pending the approval of his caucus — and of course if can win the backing of Senate GOP leaders and then a majority of the House.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, AMERICAblog News, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos

The Note:

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 …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate conservatives say they don't plan to delay consideration of debt-limit deal — Senate Republican conservatives say they do not plan to delay a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling, giving Congress a chance to make the Aug. 2 deadline set by President Obama.

Discussion: The Note, National Review, Washington Post, TPMDC and Daily Kos

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Reid signs off on bipartisan debt deal but Boehner holds out — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has signed off on a tentative bipartisan deal forged between President Obama and GOP leaders to raise the debt limit. — But the emerging deal may be imperiled by last-minute reluctance …

Discussion: Pajamas Media, The Daily Caller and Weasel Zippers

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Senate Votes Down Reid Bill, Awaits Obama/McConnell Spending-Cut-Only Debt Limit Bill — Shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, the Senate voted down Majority Leader Harry Reid's debt limit bill. — That plan has been outmoded by a new one, hammered out by the White House and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, that's still being finalized.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com:
Outlines of Debt Compromise Emerge

Fox News:
Senate Negotiators Scramble to Finalize Debt Deal After Reid Bill Tanks

Discussion: The Right Scoop, Michelle Malkin and The Other McCain

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Dems, GOP Float Eye-Popping Debt Limit Compromise

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Note, Crooks and Liars, The Hill, Hullabaloo, Don Surber, CNN, The Daily Caller, The Moderate Voice, The New Republic and RedState

New York Times:
Reid Backs Debt Deal; Defense Cuts Still in Debate

Discussion: The Caucus, TalkLeft, Wall Street Journal, Calculated Risk, Daily Kos and xpostfactoid

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
The end of Harry Reid as we know it

Discussion: PoliPundit.com and The Note

The Hill:
Senate Dems discuss emerging deal

Discussion: The Other McCain, Reuters and Daily Kos

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Senate Blocks Reid's Debt Ceiling Plan

Discussion: Washington Monthly

The Note:
Caution on Capitol Hill: ‘Nothing Is Agreed to Until Everything Is Agreed to’

Discussion: Mediaite and Hot Air

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

GOP ready to declare victory in debt fight — Republicans on Sunday framed an emerging debt ceiling agreement as largely giving them what they wanted in a debt deal. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also pushed back Sunday against suggestions the prolonged fight over raising …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and CNN

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

Griping begins as debt deal specifics emerge — Members of Congress from both parties fear their leaders may have conceded too much ground in an emerging deal to raise the debt ceiling, a sign of how difficult it'll be for a sweeping plan to be signed into law before the government begins to default on its debt later this week.

Discussion: Truthdig and The Page

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill: McCarthy: GOP still wants balanced budget amendment

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
McConnell: 'We're very close' to a deal

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Daily Kos, Sky Dancing, The Note and The Hill

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

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

Negotiating All But Done for $2.7 Trillion Deficit Reduction Deal ... Now Comes the Selling — Sources from both parties tell ABC News that the major potential roadblock in deficit negotiations— the triggers — are now essentially agreed upon. The plan is for the House to vote on this tomorrow, assuming all goes according to plan.

Discussion: The Note, Crooks and Liars, Hit & Run, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Hot Air, Hullabaloo and The Daily Dish

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

Democrats will lose now. But they can win later. — Democrats are going to lose this one. The first stage of the emerging deal doesn't include revenue, doesn't include stimulus, and lets Republicans pocket a trillion dollars or more in cuts without offering anything to Democrats in return.

Discussion: MyDD, emptywheel and DISSENTING JUSTICE

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
W.H. ‘fine’ with no new revenues until 2013

Discussion: CNN

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: Balkinization, Don Surber, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Daily Kos and Suburban Guerrilla

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

GOP on verge of huge, unprecedented political victory — By all accounts, it looks like a deal is about to be announced in which the debt ceiling is hiked in exchange for the promise of major spending cuts, including to entitlements, totalling at least $2.4 trillion.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

The Note:

Herman Cain wins Western Conservative Summit Straw Poll; Rick Perry Second — ABC News' Arlette Saenz (@arlettesaenz) reports: — Presidential candidate Herman Cain won the straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver this weekend with 48 percent of the votes, followed by Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Discussion: CNN

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Herman Cain dominates Denver straw poll; Rick Perry second

Discussion: The Raw Story

Dan / Riehl World View:

Jennifer Rubin Is An A**hole — Sorry, but there's really no other word for it. Talk about someone with a malfunction. You write for the Washington Post now, sweetie. You need to grow up and at least write like an adult, even if you can't manage to think like one.

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
A deal comes together

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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: Weasel Zippers, Riehl World View, The Moderate Voice, NewsBusters.org and Daily Kos

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: Washington Post, Grasping Reality …, The Moderate Voice and TPMDC

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Extortion politics: a new form of governing — Josh Marshall made an interesting point in passing yesterday, asking whether conservative Republicans could achieve massive spending cuts through “old-fashioned majority votes.” Josh answered his own question: “Of course not.”