The debt debate, the Congress and the President

Air Date: July 29, 2011

Hour 1

Speaker of the House John Boehner, President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in happier times at a recent budget meeting. (AP Photo)

As the Tuesday, August 2, deadline to raise the debt ceiling approaches, and the U.S. edges ever nearer to defaulting on its loans, Americans are growing increasingly frustrated over the bickering in Congress and the inability of legislators to reach some sort of deal. Recent polling indicates that voters are fed up with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as on the White House, with many questioning the President’s leadership. In a dramatic reversal last night, House Speaker John Boehner halted a vote on his plan after tallies showed he hadn’t secured enough votes in in his own restive party to pass his plan. On today’s Radio Times, we explore the disconnect between citizens and their elected officials and why Congress is unable to compromise during what many experts agree is a time of crisis? We talk to DICK POLMAN, columnist and blogger for the Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY’s NewsWorks, and WILLIAM GALSTON of the Brookings Institution about the stalemate in Congress and the role of the President in ending the stalemate.

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[audio: 072911_100630.mp3]

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