As David pointed out at the top of this morning's roundtable discussion, "just listening to Chairman Ryan and Senator Durbin, it doesn't sound like the election is actually going to solve anything that's going to lead Washington to govern any better."In response to that specific question, House Budget Chair Paul Ryan dinged Democrats and said, "if the last four years is any indication of the next four years under current management, we'll keep kicking the can. We'll keep making empty promises to voters."Senator Durbin, on the other hand, pointed to the now-stalled Simpson-Bowles debt reduction plan as a hope for bi-partisanship in Washington and attacked Paul Ryan for not supporting it."If we're going to compromise and give the American people an answer instead of a ... Continue reading →

Decision 2012 -- the focus shifts back to the economy: President Obama and his campaign pivot to a populist, "Us vs. Them," economic message while Mitt Romney touts his business credentials and focuses on the budget and spending. This Sunday, we'll have two top campaign supporters to break down the campaign and the strategy going forward: For President Obama, one of his closest allies in the Senate, the Assistant Majority Leader, Dick Durbin (D-IL); for Mitt Romney, House Budget Chair Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).Plus, Mitt Romney closes the numbers gap as new fundraising figures and polls show he's on the president's heels. If the election were held today, which candidate would have the momentum? Which states are the campaigns focusing on? We'll take a snapshot ... Continue reading →

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Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright thinks that one of the most pressing foreign policy questions that needs to be debated this campaign cycle is the role of the United States in the world, and specifically “How much is the world dependent on us?”The trailblazing former secretary sat down with David for a PRESS Pass interview Friday, just hours before President Obama was to host G-8 leaders at Camp David and a day before NATO convenes its summit in Chicago. The chief concerns for the twin gatherings: Afghanistan and the Eurozone’s economic woes.“We’re all in this together,” Albright said, addressing Afghanistan and Europe’s economic crisis. “We’re going to see what burden-sharing is about.”Albright, who served as secretary of state during the Clinton administration, also called ... Continue reading →