Murray Is Chosen as a Leader of Deficit Panel

[iandhr]

Source: NY TIMES

WASHINGTON — Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, will be co-chairwoman of a powerful new Congressional committee that is supposed to recommend at least $1.5 trillion of additional deficit-reduction measures, the Senate majority leader announced Tuesday.


The leader, Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, also appointed two other Democratic senators, Max Baucus of Montana and John Kerry of Massachusetts, to the panel.

Mr. Baucus is chairman of the Finance Committee, which has authority over Medicare, Medicaid and taxes — three prime areas of attention for the new 12-member panel, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

Mr. Kerry, the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2004, is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/us/politics/10panel.html?ref=politics

[DFab420]

1. Good! a former teacher.. Hopefully she remembers her priorities!

[roguevalley]

15. I don't care if God was on it. This is bullshit. Why not just have a

star chamber and kill people? What the fuck have we come to? Max Baucus? Really?

[indurancevile]

17. murray is a "company man" so to speak. she follows the party line. not a rebel or a radical.

[iandhr]

2. I am happy with Murray and Kerry.

Not so much Baucus.

[daa]

4. So by Kerry you mean this one the social security cutter

And as of Sunday on Meet the Press, Kerry's view on that was that

the real problem for our country is not the short-term debt. We can deal with that. It's the long-term debt. It's the structural debt of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid measured against the demographics of our nation.

[msongs]

3. once again repubs are controlling the agenda - cuts cuts cuts for the next year. meanwhile

their spokesman sits in the white house acting like this is all good for the people lol

[mzmolly]

13. "cuts" and/or "reforms" can mean many

things. Means testing for the Hilton family, including.

[Mr. Sparkle]

5. i cant get over Baucus been appointed to this committee.

He shouldn't be anywhere near it. What was Harry Reid thinking when he choose him.

[Auntie Bush]

7. I don't think he was thinking!

How could he put Baucus on this committee? Sometimes he doesn't even vote with his own party. We the people are at a disadvantage before we even get started!

[nashville_brook]

9. i'd love to know who he has naked pictures of...or, who has naked picture of him.

either way, he's obviously perceived as "safe."

[AbigailThomas]

6. Need Real Progressives on Panel...

Hoping we gt real Progressives on the panel. People who will fight for the middle class, for medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. WHy do Republicans get to have a say on who Dems pick? Toomey? Are they serious??

On another ntoe:
Rep. Schakowsky just announced she's planning to introduce a jobs bill putting 2.2 Million to work! Jobs for our firefighters, police, teachers, health care workers, and college students! Lets hope Congress takes this seriously!

Check it out on http://fb.com/janschakowsky and #jobsnow hashtag

[notadmblnd]

8. If only 12 members of the Senate are needed to make the nations financial decisions

what are the other 88 still getting paid for?

[KamaAina]

10. It's actually 6 in the Senate and 6 in the House

so the other 94 senators and 428 reps (Weiner's seat is still vacant) are basically being paid to rubber-stamp whatever the Cat Food Commission, Release 2.0, comes up with. :eyes:

[unblock]

11. uh, virtually all congressional work is done by committees first.

having a handful of congresscritters do the detailed work first and then having the whole chambers vote for a few amendments and/or final passage is the norm.

having a single committee with members from both chambers is less common but not unprecedented.

[Bragi]

12. Welcome to Kabuki Theatre D.C-style

Come see all the shiny objects! They move around every day! Hello Kitty! What was the question again?

[JJW]

14. Insane

Wha can these 12 do, that the President and leaders of US Congress couldn't. More wasting of tax payer money.

Shame on total lack of leadership.

[Matariki]

16. Murray is a good senator.

And she's strongly against cuts to Social Security and Medicare.