Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Monday blamed “a vocal minority on the hard left" as a big reason for the impasse on deficit reduction strategy.

"The only balanced approach is one that includes real and lasting reforms. So Republicans have stepped out of our comfort zone. We’ve been clear about what we’ll do and what we won’t. And yet we remain at an impasse," he said in a Senate floor speech. "Why? Because a vocal minority on the hard-left continues to argue to the leaders of their party — from the President on down — that Democrats in Washington should do absolutely nothing about short-term or long-term spending problems."

McConnell explained: “This is the Thelma and Louise crowd, the ones who dream about higher taxes and the bigger government it will pay for, regardless of the impact on jobs or the economy or America’s standing in the world. These are the ones who recklessly ignore the fact that we can’t keep running trillion dollar deficits every year and throw a tantrum if somebody suggests that maybe the taxpayers shouldn’t keep subsidizing every last program Washington ever dreamed up.

“Their reckless and ideological approach threatens our future. And anyone who’s serious about solving the problems we face should ignore it, starting with the President.

"The election is over, but the economic and fiscal problems of the past several years have only gotten worse. It’s time for the President to present a plan that rises above these reckless and radical voices on the hard-Left, that goes beyond the talking points of the campaign trail, and that has a realistic chance of passing the Congress. The time for campaigning is over. It’s time for the President to lead."