Two days after the supercommittee failed to come to a deal, some lawmakers are trying to look on the bright side. The debate did reveal that some Republicans would be amenable to tax increases, while Democrats would be willing to cut Medicare and Social Security. At the very least, it simplified the debate over taxes to focus on taxes on the wealthy. Ezra Klein argues that the panel’s failure is actually a coup for Democrats, who now have the leverage of a January 1, 2013, trigger of progressive spending cuts as well as a January 1, 2013, trigger of progressive tax increases.
