Say "raise revenue," but don't mention taxes: Republicans said they may be open to new revenue-raising measures in an effort to end the ongoing clash over the national debt. Senator McCain spoke for the party on CNN’s “State of the Union,” saying Republicans will consider tax reform that could potentially close some loopholes, but remain staunchly opposed to hikes. The GOP also said they would also consider a short-term plan because of the extreme time limitations on reaching a deal. “The problem with a mini-deal is we have a maxi problem,” Texas Senator John Cornyn said. “And the big problems aren’t going to go away if you cut a mini deal. All it does is delay the moment of truth. And so I’d say better now than then. But if we can’t, then we’ll take the savings we can get now, and we will relitigate this as we get closer to the election.”
