Abbreviated Pundit Round-up

Visual source: Newseum

Don't miss the special speech round-ups from yesterday by Jed and yours truly.

Nicholas Kristof:

President Obama in his speech on Wednesday confronted a topic that is harder to address seriously in public than sex or flatulence: America needs higher taxes.

We also need to cut spending in some areas, but you can't try to balance the budget without both.

Dan Balz/WaPo:

Obama appeared to have two goals in mind. First, he sought to demonstrate that he is serious about solving the debt and deficit problems that threaten the country?s fiscal future. Second, he needed to prove to Democrats that he is prepared to take on the Republicans and fight for policies that his party has long stood for.

The question is whether he can do both. The angry reaction from many Republicans suggests he may have widened the gulf between the two sides, although bipartisan talks in the Senate continue.

Try and do both. And since the Republicans aren't serious about deficit reduction (if they were, the Bush tax cuts would be on the table), then if you can't do both, do the second. It's not complicated.

LA Times:

Lack of primary competition gives Obama an edge

With no serious challenges for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2012, the president can target the independent voters crucial to victory, while his Republican rivals must move right to win their party's nomination.

Room for Debate: Will Voters Accept Tax Increases? including Larry Sabato, Dean Baker and more.

Gail Collins:

Part of the price of keeping the government operating this week is another debate over the financing of Planned Parenthood. Whoopee.

At least it?ll give us a chance to reminisce about Senator Jon Kyl, who gave that speech against federal support for Planned Parenthood last week that was noted for: A) its wild inaccuracy; and B) his staff?s explanation that the remarks were ?not intended to be a factual statement.?

This is the most memorable statement to come out of politics since Newt Gingrich told the world that he was driven to commit serial adultery by excessive patriotism.

WaPo:

House Republican leaders maneuvered Wednesday to round up support in the party for two major spending bills. Both are expected to pass the House, but it?s the size and makeup of the coalitions behind the bills that will help shape Washington?s fiscal debate over the next several months.

Politico:

Speaker John Boehner brings his White House budget deal to a floor vote Thursday, predicting success but still battling worrisome new cost estimates and awkward relations with President Barack Obama, who chose to deliver a partisan-tinged deficit-reduction address on the eve of the debate.

Congressional Budget Office data, posted Wednesday morning, credit the Boehner-Obama deal with capping appropriations at a level nearly $38 billion lower than when Republicans took charge of the House in January. But this will have only a minimal impact on outlays or direct spending before the 2011 fiscal year ends Sept. 30. And once contingency funds related to Afghanistan and Pakistan are counted, the news gets worse: The CBO now says that total appropriations outlays for 2011 are higher ? not lower ? by about $3.3 billion than it had estimated in December.

Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/Hn9DxwgbQdM/-Abbreviated-Pundit-Round-up

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