Behind the Scenes: Photos from the Debt Negotiations

After a long and heated debate, President Barack Obama signed into law a compromise that will reduce the deficit and avert a default on our obligations that would have devastated our economy.

Official White House photographer Pete Souza chronicled the process over the last month, snapping photos at various stages of the negotiations. Yesterday, we released a set of his behind the scenes photos.

President Barack Obama meets with Speaker of the House John Boehner on the patio near the Oval Office, Sunday, July 3, 2011.

President Barack Obama talks with members of his staff in the Oval Office following a meeting with the Congressional leadership, July 7, 2011. Pictured with the President, from left, are: Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Rob Nabors, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs; Bruce Reed, Chief of Staff to the Vice President; National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling; Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council; Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew; Senior Advisor David Plouffe; and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

President Barack Obama meets with Congressional Leadership in the Cabinet Room of the White House to discuss ongoing efforts to find a balanced approach to the debt limit and deficit reduction, July 13, 2011. Pictured, from left, are: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Oval Office to discuss ongoing efforts to find a balanced approach to the debt limit and deficit reduction, July 20, 2011.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with Congressional leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House to discuss ongoing efforts to find a balanced approach to the debt limit and deficit reduction, Saturday, July 23, 2011. Pictured, from left, are: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, OMB Director Jack Lew, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, and House Speaker John Boehner.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are briefed by Rob Nabors, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, during a meeting in Chief of Staff Bill Daley's West Wing office at the White House to discuss ongoing efforts to find a balanced approach to the debt limit and deficit reduction, Saturday, July 30, 2011.

President Barack Obama signs the Budget Control Act of 2011 in the Oval Office, Aug. 2, 2011.

VIDEO: "If you want to be a leader, then you got to lead"

Last night, President Obama held a press conference to provide an update on the ongoing budget negotiations to get our fiscal house in order.  Unfortunately, Speaker Boehner walked away from these negotiations as they worked towards a big deficit and debt reduction package.

Today, the President will meet with members of both parties, including Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi, to continue to hammer out a deal to ensure that Congress acts to reduce our deficit and prevent America from defaulting on its obligations.

Libertarian Party Message: Republicans jack up government spending

December 13, 2010

Dear Friend of Liberty,

I'm sure you've seen the media reports of how President Obama and the Republicans are making deals for big increases in government spending (while keeping tax rates very high). Ethanol subsidies, more unfunded unemployment spending, etc.

About a week ago, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, "I think the current [35%] tax rate is appropriate for our country." No it isn't, it's way too high. In fact, I don't think there should even be an income tax. Section 2.4 of the Libertarian Party Platform calls for the abolition of the IRS.

When I heard Republicans repeat the words "less government" on the campaign trail this year, I wasn't fooled. I knew they were lying. I hope you weren't fooled either.

Unlike the Republicans, we Libertarians believe in cutting government spending. In fact, we want to cut spending across the board -- and that includes the military, Social Security, and Medicare. And we want to get rid of ethanol subsidies and other corporate welfare -- while the Republicans vote to increase it.

In other news, our Chair, Mark Hinkle, came to D.C. this weekend. Robert Kraus (our Operations Director) and I immediately put him to work on the phones calling our top donors to help raise money for the party.

We're still working to raise funds so we can afford to hire Travis Irvine and Nigel Lyons to produce video content for the LP.

We need to raise several thousand dollars more before feeling comfortable about starting on this.

Please make a donation of $1,000, or $500 or even $10 today.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Source: Libertarian Party