AP: “As the stalemate over government funding lingered Monday, a possible national default loomed closer, rattling markets in the United States and overseas. A gridlocked Congress betrayed little or no urgency toward resolving either of the threats, although Senate Democrats said they were drafting a bill calling for a short-term extension of the national debt ceiling before it expires next week. Stocks got a case of the jitters on Wall Street, and halfway around the world China stressed the importance for the international economy of raising the debt limit.”
Did Harry Reid shut out Joe Biden? Politico: “When President Barack Obama laid out his strategy for the current debt-limit fight in a private meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this past summer, Reid stipulated one condition: No Joe Biden. And while Biden attended the White House dog-and-pony show meeting last week with congressional leaders, Reid has effectively barred him from the backrooms, according to sources familiar with the situation.” More: “Biden’s deals rubbed Democrats raw. He gave up too much, they said. And for that, they have frozen him out — at least for now.”
Who do you blame? 38% say Republicans, 30% say Obama, 19% say both, according to a National Journal poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research.
The same poll, commissioned by Pew found 69% disapprove of Republicans’ handling of the budget crisis.
AP: “President Barack Obama’s top adviser on environmental and climate issues is leaving. Heather Zichal has been advising Obama for five years and is the architect of his climate change plan. She also advises Obama on energy issues.”