Democrats Weigh Bipartisan Commission on the Deficit

Concerned that the huge federal deficit will become a political liability as well as an economic one, some Democrats are pushing for a bipartisan commission to come up with binding recommendations to deal with the nation's fiscal imbalances, the New York Times reports.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, one of the advocates of the idea, said it was crucial to bridge the partisan divide if something is to be done about the deficit. "The Democratic Party wants to spend more than we can afford; the Republican Party tends to want to cut taxes more than we can afford," he told the Times. "So we are stuck."

But the Times says the idea faces deep reservations at the White House where there are concerns about ceding major decisions to a commission and among other Democrats who are skeptical of Republican willingness to compromise. And as Bayh said, Republicans have been adamantly against going along with any tax increases to close the money gap.