The Associated Press: President Obama- 'On Debt Deal: Let's Get It Done'

Source:Associated Press- President Barack H. Obama (Democrat, Illinois) talking about debt negotiations with Congress.

"President Barack Obama has used a broadcast news conference to warn about the danger of defaulting on America's debt -- and with the deadline fast approaching, and to challenge lawmakers to cut a deal. (June 29)" 

From the Associated Press

"Let's get a deal done" as the President said on Wednesday sounds great, but they are only words unless he puts some actions behind them. The President could speed up this process a lot, if put some of his own ideas on the table and laid out his own vision for deficit reduction and a debt ceiling limit. Instead of leaving it up to the bipartisan negotiators and then stepping in when things slow down. 

Barack Obama is the first President I know who sees his job as essentially talking rather than leading. And what I mean by leading is actually putting ideas down on paper in legislation and then sending it to Congress. 

President W Bush whether you liked him or not as President, sent legislation up to Congress when he believed he needed to get something done. As far as what he sent up to Congress and what he was able to pass. Both of his tax cuts, the two wars, No Child Left Behind, etc. He had a pretty good legislative record as far as passing legislation. And President bush had two years of a divided Congress from 2001-03 and two years of a Democratic Congress from 2007-2009 and four years of a Republican Congress, but with very tight majorities in both Chambers. Where Senate Democrats could always block almost anything in the Senate. 

President Clinton had an excellent record of getting his priorities through Congress. The two trade deals, his deficit reduction plan, his crime bill, balanced budget agreement, Welfare To Work, Family and Medical Leave, etc. And President Clinton also had six years of a Republican Congress. 

President Obama had an excellent record of getting legislation passed through Congress his first two years in a Democratic Congress with large majorities in both chambers. But a lot of it was done in emergency form like the Recovery Act. Now that there's a divided congress, the House GOP at least has an agenda but we haven't heard much from Senate Democrats or the White House as far putting legislation on the table. 

For the President to be successful, he's going to need to put ideas on the table and offer legislation so the country knows where he is on these issues. And so where Republicans and Democrats know where he is on the issues. So both sides know where the other side is and then they can go from there and reach agreements on these issues by compromising.