Budget Talks Fail Again

WASHINGTON, D.C.: "We are doing everything we can to reach out in a bipartisan way," a frustrated Newt Gingrich told reporters today after leaving the White House with budget negotiations once more at an impasse. Gingrich, Bob Dole and other GOP leaders met reporters this afternoon armed with charts to show how much ground they have ceded to President Clinton during the months of negotiations. Back at the White House, the President was conciliatory, saying talks could be resumed by next Wednesday, and that a budget "is clearly within reach." Bob Dole took a similar line: "We stand ready to continue," he said. But TIME's Karen Tumulty says both sides may want simply to punt the budget football to the '96 elections. "If the negotiations are canceled and there's no deal, Bob Dole's presidential campaign gains what it most needs: a message." Moreover, Tumulty says that may be the only way to resolve their differences. "The biggest obstacles during the negotiations have been created by policies, not numbers. Dollar amounts could always have been bridged. What's been virtually impossible for the two sides to reconcile are the arguments about block-granting Medicaid, individual retirement accounts, family caps for welfare recipients, and more. These really are issues for the voters to decide." Still, Tumulty says negotiations could well resume. "Clinton needs to decide between now and the State of the Union address on January 23rd if he wants to be the man that delivered a balanced budget, or the man that stood up for Democratic ideals."