By Lisa Lerer

After months of bitter negotiations, Democratic and Republican leaders have finally reached an agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. 

Now, they must sell it to their parties -- and quickly -- recognizing there’s plenty members won’t like about the plan. 

The political polarization that almost scuttled a deal to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit prompted criticism from both parties yesterday, as congressional leaders and White House officials raced to complete the details of the plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he anticipated resistance from rank-and-file members in both parties. 

“I know this agreement won’t make every Republican happy,” Reid said as he announced on the Senate floor that a deal had been struck. “It certainly won’t make every Democrat happy either.” 

In a conference call with House Republicans last night, House Speaker John Boehner said he realized members of his party would have misgivings about the plan. 

Boehner told his colleagues this isn’t the greatest deal in the world, according to comments provided by Republican aides. Still, he told them it shows how much Republicans have changed the terms of the debate in Washington, the aides said. 

As part of the agreement, a bipartisan congressional super- committee will be charged with crafting a proposal to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over a decade. If the committee can’t reach agreement, the deal mandates across-the-board cuts to programs championed by Democrats and Republican priorities including defense. 

Bipartisan Vote 

Still, even some lawmakers who may oppose the final package said they predicted it would pass just hours before the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling. 

“When it comes back to the House it will probably then be a bipartisan vote,” said Representative Phil Gingrey, a Georgia Republican. “But I’m not sure that I can vote yes again.” 

Congressional leaders began selling the plan to their membership almost immediately. Lawmakers praised Boehner for his negotiating skills, according to a Republican aide, though they doubted that their party would be able to pass the proposal without Democratic support. 

In cutting the deal, President Barack Obama may have staved off a default, though he deepened a rift over budget policy within his party. 

Revenue Omitted 

Fiscally liberal groups and lawmakers attacked the deal for omitting revenue increases, while cutting spending and threatening even deeper reductions in programs like Medicare. 

“This deal does not even attempt to strike a balance between more cuts for the working people of America and a fairer contribution from millionaires and corporations,” Representative Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who leads the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement. “I will not be a part of it.” 

Grijalva and members of the Congressional Black Caucus will call on Obama today to invoke the 14th amendment, which declares that the U.S. will meet all of its debt obligations, in an attempt to circumvent Congress and sidestep the deal. 

Obama’s unwillingness to make the argument that the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes has led Democrats to approach the deal with “a lot of unease,” said Michigan Senator Carl Levin. Still, he said, the president will have another chance to make the argument when the Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire in 2012. 

Meanwhile, Republicans questioned whether the spending cuts were deep enough. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he was “highly concerned” about the size of the cuts. 

“I’m afraid this is not going to fix the problem, and that’s the one reason I came here,” said Johnson, a first-term Republican elected with Tea Party support. 

Conservative Worries 

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he didn’t “see many conservatives getting behind this,” in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” yesterday. 

Members of the congressional Tea Party caucus, including Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, have said they would oppose a debt ceiling increase that was not tied to a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. 

Republicans also objected to the structure of the super- committee because it could recommend tax increases. 

“We are adamantly opposed to committees that are given the authority to raise taxes on the American people and to bring about the gutting of our national defense budget,” said Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action for America, a fiscally conservative advocacy group. 

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