WASHINGTON: If Republicans don’t agree to a “balanced” deal that raises revenues, Democrats are willing to let sequestration strike on Jan. 2nd — and the Bush tax cuts expire on Dec. 31st — Sen. Patty Murray said this afternoon in a major escalation of Congress’s ongoing game of chicken.

“If we can’t get … a deal that calls on the wealthy to pay their fair share, I will absolutely continue this debate into 2013,” Sen. Murray told an audience at the left-of-center Brookings Institution today. “I think my party and the American people will support that.” Keep reading →