Jeff Smith: The Gang of Six Remains Relevant

In his role as a contributing member of Politico’s “Arena,” contributing RP Jeff Smith was asked if he believed the U.S. Senate’s “Gang of Six” — a bipartisan group formed to develop a solution to the budget deficit crisis — would remain relevant after the recent departure of conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Here’s Jeff’s answer:

The Gang remains relevant. Given his nature, Coburn could return as easily as he left; sure, he may be frustrated, but it’s probably just a tactic to get more movement from Durbin. Apparently they’re close to an agreement; if $130 billion more in Medicare savings is the main sticking point in an effort to achieve $4 billion in overall debt reduction, it would seem that this impasse can be bridged. And the ten weeks remaining to bridge it is an eternity: as with a tied NBA championship game with ten seconds left, there may be many more twists and turns to come.

Read the rest of Jeff’s answer here.