WASHINGTON (AP) — In a town of broken politics, the path to compromise is littered with broken promises. It’s called governing.

The rush to avoid economic calamity on Jan. 1 has President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner out to cut a deal and sell it to their parties. The goal is a middle ground that would at least halt looming tax increases on virtually everyone, if not yield a far-reaching bargain to stabilize the nation’s debt.