Signals from the first post-election budget meeting between the President and congressional leaders, which took place at the White House on Friday, were very good.

Congressional leaders of both parties appeared together after the meeting. There were no lines in the sand, no threats, and no impugning each other’s motives.

Beyond the low bar of politeness, President Obama and his guests appeared to be focused on the right priority -- achieving a long-term fiscal plan and not just a quick fix to the immediate pressure of the “fiscal cliff.”  

They spoke of a two-step process with a down payment on deficit reduction this year while putting together a framework for a long-term deal to be enacted next year along with a credible back-up mechanism -- more credible than a new cliff -- in case Congress fails to act. That basic approach has been recommended by many outside observers, including The Concord Coalition.  

Topping off the pre-Thanksgiving cheer was that a consensus seems to have been reached on the fundamental point that everything must be on the table, including revenues and entitlement spending.

We're still far from a long-term “grand bargain,” let alone a way around the fiscal cliff, but this is an essential starting point for fruitful negotiations.

Whether the...

Congratulations to the Election Day winners. So what do Tuesday's results mean for the fiscal outlook?

Think of it this way.

If the country is on an unsustainable fiscal path, which it is, and if continued partisan bickering will not solve this problem, which it won’t, and if divided government has been re-elected, which it has, then the only choices are calamity or compromise.

The Concord Coalition urges compromise.

That must begin immediately as the two parties negotiate a responsible alternative to the “fiscal cliff” – a combination of tax increases and spending cuts that will hit with such suddenness that it could throw the still-fragile economy back into recession.

But they can’t just kick the can down the road -- again. The year-end fiscal cliff is bad, but eventually we will need the longer-term deficit reduction produced by the policies comprising the fiscal cliff. It just needs to be phased-in in a more rational way, as proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles and Domenici-Rivlin recommendations.

The key is to agree on a process for dealing with the serious and structural imbalance between spending and taxes that, if left on autopilot, will damage the economy, stress the social safety net, diminish our world leadership and leave future generations saddled with a debt burden...

Congressional procrastination could lead to chaotic decision-making on the federal budget after the November elections, but many economists believe this procrastination is already harming the economy.

The damage stems from widespread uncertainty over what elected officials will do, if anything, about the “fiscal cliff” – a combination of sharp “automatic” spending cuts and the scheduled expiration of tax cuts at year’s end.

The Wall Street Journal reported today on its survey of 47 economists, noting their widespread concern about the growing economic cost of congressional inaction. This “adds insult to injury to an economy already flirting with a stall rate,” said Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial. Another analyst, Julia Coronado of BNP Paribas, said: “We are already feeling the effects in hiring and investment.”

The general expectation in Washington is that elected officials will not take action on the fiscal cliff until after the elections, despite encouragement throughout much of this year from The Concord Coalition and many other analysts and groups to work out a bipartisan action plan as soon as possible.

Rep. Steven LaTourette’s announcement this week that he will not seek re-election underscores the difficulties that face elected officials who try to take a constructive, bipartisan approach to dealing with the nation’s most important challenges – notably the need for fundamental fiscal reforms.

“For a long time now, words like compromise have been considered to be dirty words,” the Republican said in a press conference in his Ohio district Tuesday. “And there are people on the right and the left who think that if you compromise you’re a coward . . . . you’re an appeaser.”

LaTourette, who has served in the House since 1995, has built a reputation as a moderate who seeks bipartisan compromise and is willing to challenge members of his own party when he feels they are taking less constructive positions. His frustration, echoed by many other moderates in Washington, should serve as a warning to American voters that partisanship and political intransigence are clouding the country’s future.

That’s particularly true in fiscal policy, as LaTourette indicated in his press conference. He understands the need for sweeping changes to put the federal budget on a more responsible and sustainable course, as recommended by an array of bipartisan groups, including...