As President Obama hosts Senate Democrats this afternoon for a discussion on the budget, there's no clear direction to a battle over spending that seems to be lacking one important item - common ground.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday were floating the idea of a $4 trillion plan, split evenly with $2 trillion in budget savings and $2 trillion in higher taxes spread over 10 years.
President Obama's earlier outline envisioned $4 trillion in savings over 12 years, with $2 trillion in savings, $1 trillion in reductions in interest payments and $1 trillion in new tax revenues.
A group of Republicans meanwhile unveiled their own plan, which would cut taxes, allow for some limited cuts in defense and roll back spending on domestic programs to 2006 levels.
"Simply put, deficits are not inevitable," said Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). "They can be stopped if we in Congress have the will to stop them."
Toomey's plan was backed by Tea Party stalwarts like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who used a news conference to urge his fellow Republicans not to run away from entitlement reforms in the wake of strong attacks by Democrats in recent weeks on plans to reform Medicare.
"Medicare as it's currently structured, goes bankrupt in the next five to 12 years," Rubio said in saying that major change is needed.
But Toomey's plan sidestepped the Medicare issue, giving everyone a fresh reminder of how difficult it is to actually bring about major reforms in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Some though remain hopeful about a budget deal with the White House that does include entitlement reforms.
"I think now is the best time I've seen since I've been in Congress, because the public understands we're in an unsustainable debt situation," said Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC).
So far though, talks led by Vice President Biden have not given off any hints of a breakthrough, as both sides keep saying they don't want certain things to be considered.
House Speaker John Boehner has said he wants no tax increases.
Top Democrats have said they want no changes to Social Security or Medicare.
Many Republicans have said they won't back a plan that includes defense cuts.
Put all that together, and the Congress only has a small chunk of the budget to look at for cuts, and that won't balance the budget anytime soon.
The debt ceiling debate may be the best way to force a deal, but something tells me it's not going to happen soon.
