into default? let me go back to the beginning of your question. you say republicans wouldn t be willing to do this. the president sat twice with speaker boehner who was willing to put as much as $800 billion in revenue on the table as part of tax reform. 16 republican senators have been willing to agree with the gang of six to have revenues as part of tax reform, much more significantly than this president. so what the president really said is that there is just a faction in washington that is keeping us from this type of a comp roar mize. this type of ball llamas that could get us there. i know that everybody wants to go now to the doomsday scenarios. we should start with what are the constructive approaches we could get there. the has bent over backwards for bipartisan, balance, compromise. time for others to do the same. that s the sole focus this morning. you re right. there are republicans that have supported the closing of the tax loopholes. tom coburn came up with, i
beginning of your question. you say republicans wouldn t be willing to do this. the president sat twice with speaker boehner who was willing to put as much as $800 billion in revenue on the table as part of tax reform. 16 republican senators have been willing to agree with the gang of six to have revenues as part of tax reform, much more significantly than this president. so what the president really said is that there is just a faction in washington that is keeping us from this type of a comp roar mize. this type of ball llamas that could get us there. i know that everybody wants to go now to the doomsday scenarios. we should start with what are the constructive approaches we could get there. the has bent over backwards for bipartisan, balance, compromise. time for others to do the same. that s the sole focus this morning. you re right. there are republicans that have supported the closing of the tax loopholes. tom coburn came up with, i believe, $1 trillion.
won t support deep cuts without increases in taxes. if you are trying to get to 2.4 trillion without any revenue, then you are effectively gutting a whole bunch of domestic spending that is going to be too burdensome and not something that i would support. david gergen is the cnn political analyst. there was a time when john boehner and president obama both talked of doing something big to change america s unsustainable economic path. what do you think? do that you think that opportunity is lost? well, a week is a long time in politics. it can be a lifetime, as you know. i think the big deal, the grand deal, the grand bargain of $4 trillion over four years is dead, it s gone. i think the chances of getting a deal at 2.5 are 2. the middle double deal, very unlikely, because the president does not want to go that high without tax increases and republicans are not going to do it. here s the question that is coming out. and that s. the house republicans are now pushing a ve
plain reading of the constitution, he has both an option and an obligation to enforce this and it kind of throws it back at the tea party, in a sense, which has waived waved the constitution as its document. it s interesting that today the white house is talking about doomsday scenarios but we are facing real financial calamity at home and abroad and this is a tool a bow in the president s tool kit, leverage with a republican party that so far refused to cooperate. will they walk away from cuts, if the president has to, he needs to invoke this, and he has not spoken about it, but i do think it would give him a leadership role to speak concretely at this point in these negotiations. let s look at one thing he did say along these lines. going to the law professor, and
enforce this and it kind of throws it back at the tea party, in a sense, which has waived waved the constitution as its document. it s interesting that today the white house is talking about doomsday scenarios but we are facing real financial calamity at home and abroad and this is a tool a bow in the president s tool kit, leverage with a republican party that so far refused to cooperate. will they walk away from cuts, if the president has to, he needs to invoke this and he has not spoken about it, but i do think it would give haim leadership role to speak concretely at this point in these negotiations. let s look at one thing he did say along these lines. going to the law professor, and i want to hear more about your thinking. president obama yesterday asked