The congressional super committee set up as part of the debt ceiling agreement reached between Congress and President Obama has been completed, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi adding the final three names Thursday.
There are 12 members of the committee: six from the House and six from the Senate, evenly divided along party lines. While that might seem a recipe for disaster, the committee will only need a seven-vote majority to move legislation to the full bodies. Here's a look at the 12 members who can help give clues as to how helpful -- or intransigent -- they might be.
* Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.): A sensible Democratic leader who will co-chair the committee. She voted yes on the stimulus packages and no on balanced budget amendment legislation. Expect Murray to be a strong chair who will fight for sensible funding increases.
* Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas): Appointed by House Speaker John Boehner to co-chair, Hensarling is a hardliner who shouldn't be expected to compromise.
"I think it's an unfortunate appointment," said SMU political science professor Cal Jillson, according to McClatchy Newspapers. "Jeb Hensarling is a committed ideologue. He and Dave Camp are unlikely to be part of the solution."
* Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.): The other member mentioned by Jillson made a surprise statement at least hinting at compromise, saying revenue increases are on the table, reports Reuters.
* Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.): The former presidential candidate can be counted on to try to grab headlines but has a sensible head that can bring real ideas.
* Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.): Already catching heat from former senator Alan Simpson as a pick, who claims Baucus didn't really participate in the deficit reduction committee Simpson co-chaired, according to KULR8. Baucus isn't liked by the left either. He was seen as a sell-out in the healthcare reform debate.
* Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.): Toomey is a Tea Party darling. As such, any compromise coming from him would be a big surprise.
* Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.): Kyl is another senator courting the Tea Party, but is more sensible than Toomey. Where compromise might come from with Kyl is on defense. If the committee fails to come up with a passable proposal, the automatic cuts will hit defense harder than Kyl would like.
* Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.): Van Hollen wants the emphasis of the committee to be putting Americans back to work.
"Putting America back to work is the best and most immediate way to reduce our deficit," Van Hollen said, reports the New York Times.
* Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.): is a big recipient of Koch brothers money and, as such, is strongly opposed to environmental regulation. The Los Angeles Times headline reads "Watch out EPA, Fred Upton is on the debt 'super committee."
* Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.): Clyburn should be a strong advocate for working Americans. He takes issue with the conservative position laying the blame on entitlement spending.
"This is just blaming poor people," Clyburn said, reports WSPA. "Blaming them for the problem, while fat cats in the upper two percent get another tax cut."
* Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is possibly one of the best hopes for compromise from the conservative side. Portman has budget experience and has come across as a potential bridge builder, notes the Wall Street Journal.
* Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) is another carry-over from the Bowles-Simpson committee. He is a staunch supporter of Social Security and Medicare. He voted "no" on the debt ceiling increase, saying it does nothing to address the Bush tax cuts or unfunded wars, nor does enough to bring more jobs to Americans.
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