For politicians: "'How-to Manual' for Betraying Seniors and People with Disabilities"

[madfloridian]

From Huff Post by Nancy Altman of Social Security Works and Eric Kingson of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

This paints a pretty sad picture of the Democrats who are in a quandary right now over the cuts in Social Security which are being called something else.

Our 'How-to Manual' for Betraying Seniors and People with Disabilities

They want to be counted as among the "serious people in the room." You know, the folks who are willing to "compromise" the well-being of everyday Americans and vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities to claim credit for striking a "grand bargain."

But they're in a bind. Most, including President Obama and Speaker Boehner, have acknowledged that Social Security has not and cannot contribute a penny to the federal debt. Nearly all are on record as promising that they will never, ever cut the benefits of today's seniors and people with disabilities. They've seen those pesky polls showing that the American people, Republicans, Independents and Democrats, alike, strongly oppose benefit cuts. Constituents understand that playing around with the way COLAs are calculated is a benefit cut, pure and simple. They state their opposition in polls; some have expressed their opposition by calling or even paying visits to the offices of those elected to represent them.

Yes, pity those poor politicians. They don't want to be held accountable, they certainly don't want to lose the next election, but they don't want to take their constituents' side in opposition to Wall Street CEOs, elite media, and others pushing for bad policy. These politicians sorely need a "way out" and we are pleased to help by summarizing five lessons from our path-breaking new book, "Betraying Seniors and People with Disabilities: A How to Manual for your Garden Variety Politician."

Be sure to read all five of the "lessons", and you will see just how it is all playing out right now.

Number 4 of the five lessons they quote is the one that really caught my attention.

Lesson Number 4: Explain that it could have been worse. Float even worse policy ideas like increasing the nation's health care costs by throwing those aged 65 and 66 off of Medicare. Draw as much attention as you can toward those numbskull ideas, hoping that Americans will be relieved that you didn't do worse.

You can follow Nancy Altman's campaign FOR Social Security at Twitter:

NoSocSecCuts

Crossposted at Madfloridian's Twitter page

[HiPointDem]

1. kr

[russspeakeasy]

2. Thanks, mad....another great read.

[woo me with science]

3. K&R "It could have been worse."

The mantra.

[madfloridian]

18. A lot of that being heard.

Be thankful they aren't doing worse to us.

[me b zola]

4. Recommended

It is sickening to watch this all play out.

[madfloridian]

12. Yes, it is.

There's no other way to describe the feeling.

[ProSense]

5. This is weird:

A final, serious word: We know that you are in a bind. We know that you want to hold onto power and continue to get contributions and favorable attention from the elite. We know that you understand what you are doing is harmful policy. Therefore, if you are determined to hurt your constituents, we seriously and respectfully urge you to make the proposal a bit less onerous, knowing, of course, that it is much too little. We urge you to exempt SSI, which provides benefits to the poorest of the poor. We urge you to increase Social Security benefits after 20 years, a proposal known colloquially as a "birthday bump." Use these modifications to sweeten the deal and cover up the bitterness of the policy. But do it with your eyes open. While exempting SSI is the right thing to do, it does not help the millions who are just getting by with the help of Social Security. While an increase in benefits after twenty years is the right thing to do, it does not help those who don't live into their eighties and nineties. Indeed, as the following graph shows, it only softens the blow slightly for those fortunate enough to live to ninety-five or beyond.

In short, the chained CPI is bad policy. If you insist on supporting it though, we urge you to put some lipstick on that pig. Then run away from the policy as fast as you can.

Why advocate doing that? There should be no cuts. Period.

After a dramatic week, Social Security is again off the table
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022052075

[Egalitarian Thug]

6. K&R No bookmarks and I want to follow this one. n/t

[glinda]

7. K & R n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

8. They'll chop away with impunity.

Facts and livelihoods be damned.

[99Forever]

9. Thanks MadF.

[leftstreet]

10. DURec

[byeya]

11. Fortune and the Christian Science Monitor are two serious publications who will not be happy

with this OP and those who have posted so far.

Is that you George Will? What say??

Not serious.

[JEB]

13. Anybody calling themselves a Democrat

should be seeking ways to strengthen and expand SS. Not chipping away at it through cost of living accounting gimmicks. Why should disabled Vets have to turn down the thermostat and Grandma have to cut her dosage of needed prescriptions so the fat, corrupt, wasteful Dod can keep flying high?

[ProSense]

14. I don't think anyone supporting this

piece really knows what it's advocating.

It's a yeah, this is horrible policy, but if you must: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022061175#post5

Also note that the OP was written December 18, the entire landscape of the negotiations have changed.

[madfloridian]

15. Yes, I know what the piece is saying.

I don't care for the paragraph near the end, but let's admit it.....we are at the mercy of the type of politicians mentioned in the first part.

They will do what they must do to win, and they need lots of money to do it.

We are merely spectators in the sport of politics, and the victims.

I don't post stuff I don't understand.

[madfloridian]

19. I never thought our nation would have this meanness to its politics.

We have let the right wing extremists control the dialogue for too long, now we don't know how to fight them strongly enough.

[JDPriestly]

16. K&R

[Baitball Blogger]

17. kr