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Lisa: After hammering out a deal
to avert a default disaster, we
have a rarity in Washington,
compromise.
With leadership in both parties
declaring victory.
But they like us are already
looking ahead.
The debt deal pushes one
political drama down the road,
but another is heating up fast
more Republicans entering the
2024 presidential ring.
The future of the branches is
the subject of our weekend
briefing.
Erin Haynes, I want to ask you
about the meanings of this deal.
What are your takeaways as far
as who outside of Washington,
which Americans could be
affected by this?
>> There is definitely concern
among both younger voters and
frankly people closer to my age
that are still paying off
student loan debt.
Because the student loan debt
moratorium was one of the
casualties in this debt seal
dealing compromise, people who
had had their student loans
frozen during the pandemic are
going to have to start repaying
those in the next couple of
months.
These are people who are still
struggling to do that.
Also people who were hoping for
student loan debt forgiveness
from this administration.
Lisa: Who do you think gained
and lost here?
>> President Biden gains a lot
with independent voters.
Swing voters really like
dealmaking.
There was polling that came out
before the deal that said 60%
wanted to see spending cuts
attached.
There are going to be people,
both student debt holders and
those who receive food stamps,
there is going to be an
expansion of some work
requirements for those in the 50
to 55-year-old range and more
paperwork requirements that
could make it harder for them to
find food.
But overall it's a spending
freeze and it's full of more
holes than Swiss cheese.
We saw a right before the senate
acted that there is a big
bipartisan push to do an
emergency spelled in --
emergency spending bill to
shoehorn in a lot of spending
for Ukraine and things on the
domestic side that could make
these caps pretty meaningless
pretty quickly.
Lisa: Ron Desantis became an
official candidate for
president.
He has a very uphill climb.
Maybe everyone else in the
Republican primary field, what
is the pass here for someone
other than Donald Trump?
>> Mike pence and Chris Christie
expected to be announcing
imminently.
I think former president trump
defining Desantis for months
even before he became and it can
-- an official candidate, he is
now attempting to define himself
and even going from I think the
culture worried that a lot of
people recognize him as as
somebody who is willing to take
on former president trump which
a lot of voters who might be
looking for an alternative to
Donald Trump were wondering
whether he would do and whether
he could do that successfully.
So you see him on the campaign
trail this week bringing up the
issue of term limits and really
questioning Donald Trump's
assertion that he doesn't need
eight years in office.
So how that's going to paly out
-- play out with voters -- we
are going to see a lot more of
the candidates in Iowa even
through this we can.
Voters are going to have a
chance to begin to get to know
them, but we are still 520 plus
days away from election day.
So a lot of time for these
candidates to distinguish
themselves and knocked trump off
of his front runner campaign
pedestal that he at least seems
to be pretty secure in holding
for now.
Lisa: A lot that we have heard
in the halls of the capital.
What else is shaping up for
2024?
>> This is going to be a big
impact on house races of this
deal.
Overall I think the deal
benefits the swing district
moderate Republicans.
It makes them look like
dealmakers.
It could hurt Mccarthy's ability
to raise big dollars from
donors.
Lisa: How soon could speaker
Mccarthy be in trouble?
>> In the coming week they could
bring a motion to oust him from
the speakership.
I suspect that would fail.
There is a group of Democrats
willing to bail out the speaker
on that vote.
It would be a very strange
situation.
We haven't seen this kind of
coalition of no-confidence vote
in U.S. Politics.
I think he's got a backstop
where he's willing to call the
bluff.
So far he is basically saying,
bring it on, try to oust me.
Lisa: I did not feel the
electricity in any of this.
I think the American public is
exhausted.
Maybe just I'm exhausted.
How would you both assess the
mood of the electorate right
now?
>> I feel like fiscal issues
aren't as prominent as they
were.
It was a very big issue among
voters and I think cultural
issues for right now, abortion
is a big issue.
A lot of things about teaching
racism in classes.
The voters are really not
focused on the budget.
It's always been a boring issue.
The energy lack that allowed
Mccarthy to make a deal.
>> I think there probably is a
little bit of the been there
done that feeling on the debt
ceiling.
Maybe that's why there is a lack
of enthusiasm or interest around
this issue.
Also maybe a lack of
understanding of how this debt
ceiling issue is not just a wall
Street problem but also a
problem for everyday Americans
on main street.
Maybe that connection was not
clear enough.
It didn't really give them a
reason to understand what does
this mean for me.
Again, we are still over 500
days away from election day.
Not all voters are as locked
into this as those of us who get
paid to pay attention to this
kind of thing for a living.
As the Republican primary field
comes more and more into focus,
as the primary season, these
debates, the primary elections
begin to get underway, I think
you will see voters begin to pay
more attention and you will see
they are actually quite engaged
and interested in the outcome
for 2024.
Lisa: Eric Watson and Erin
Haynes, thanks very much.