Obama Plans to Hit Road With Oh-So-Popular Message of Cutting Social Security and Medicare

[limpyhobbler]

President Obama plans to meet with business, labor and civic leaders early this week about the fiscal slope, according to Reuters. Congressional leaders will huddle with Obama at the end of the week. Labor has immediately and vocally rejected the concept of a grand bargain, at least for now, so judging their behavior after this meeting will be critical. The presence of corporate executives who have pull on Republicans probably matters more than the presence of labor, to whom I assume there will be an attempt to dictate terms.

After this inside game and as the negotiations continue, the President plans to hit the road in support of a deal, which sounds to me like a terrible idea for him.

As he prepares to meet with Congressional leaders at the White House on Friday, aides say, Mr. Obama will not simply hunker down there for weeks of closed-door negotiations as he did in mid-2011, when partisan brinkmanship over raising the nation’s debt limit damaged the economy and his political standing. He will travel beyond the Beltway at times to rally public support for a deficit-cutting accord that mixes tax increases on the wealthy with spending cuts [...]

And with the election campaign over, the campaign for the Obama legacy begins: Mr. Obama will keep his grass-roots organization in place to “have the president’s back,” as its members like to say, on the budget negotiations and other issues in the second term. Democrats concede that the network has not been a particularly effective legislative lobby to date. But they argue that when it was activated to pass payroll tax cuts and low-interest student loans, the pressure made a difference.

...

Complete piece: http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/11/12/obama-plans-to-hit-road-with-oh-so-popular-message-of-cutting-social-security-and-medicare/

[Scuba]

1. I agree that he should go to the People. The People need to be ready to tell him where to cut...

... (like military and oil subsidies) and where to strengthen (SS and Medicare) and where to invest (education, infrastructure).


How much of an economic boost would it be if the federal government bought some of this debt like the Occupy movement?

[Angry Dragon]

4. But he is taking the common person out of the talks

civic leaders, labor and business
where are the people in this??

[Scuba]

5. In the streets, if needed.

[Chunk]

7. Don't give the firebaggers any ideas,

they might want to sell the SS trust bonds to debt collectors for pennies on the dollar.

[Grateful for Hope]

2. I think the title is misleading

There is no specific mention of SS or Medicare in the article. Also, they are using Woodward (Woodward?) as a source.

[limpyhobbler]

8. woodward...

I think he did refer to the recent Woodward documents.

http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15089281-white-house-grand-bargain-offer-to-speaker-boehner-obtained-by-bob-woodward

[Dubster]

3. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[Scuba]

6. +1 The People have spoken, and Obama better STRENGTHEN Social Security and Medicare ..

... or we need to send a very loud message to get with the program.

[msongs]

9. and if he doesn't, who will you turn to then? repubs? you're stuck nt

[Scuba]

10. No, you hold his feet to the fire. Just a couple million folks descending on DC ought to do it.

[kenny blankenship]

16. Well I hope you're organizing that demo RIGHT NOW

because the clear intent on his part is to ram this attack on the Safety Net through before people know what's happening.

If there is a Athens style march on D.C. I'll be there, and wouldn't miss it for the world. On the other hand, if all the "loser liberals" and "whipped dog progressives" are planning on waiting -once again- until it's too late to stop another Obama Betrayal, I'll be in the bar, waiting to tell you "I told you so."

[limpyhobbler]

13. I wonder if they will raise the Medicare eligibility age and call that "strengthening" Medicare?

[kenny blankenship]

17. UNDOUBTEDLY!

and you'll see the usual assortment of morons and goons around here standing on their chairs and cheering.

Whip us! Beat us! Send our kids to war! We love you Obama!

[Doctor_J]

19. Um, STRENGTHEN is what Rmoney wanted to do to it

by cutting benefits. You're propagating a right-wing talking point. What the president should do is GROW IT.

[Scuba]

21. I don't let the R's define things for me. Romney's plan was to kill SS. I want to see the cap ...

... lifted and SS taxes taken from capital gains. That would strengthen the program.

"Grow" would imply more beneficiaries wouldn't it? Are you advocating lowering the age?

[Doctor_J]

22. Regardless, when you say strengthen, you are adopting the language

of the benefit cutters. If the president is really firmly against any benefit cuts, period. Then he should say that.

Grow mean just what it says - more benefits, more beneficiaries, more money.

[Scuba]

23. And the cutters won't try to compromise "grow"???

Many (most?) Americans think of "strengthening" as making more secure. "Grow", frankly is a much easier word to co-opt, using exactly the words you used: more, more, more.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

11. See? This is where the President proves

he isn't a liberal. My R friends like to says he's liberal. But he's not a liberal. But cutting these programs is only a good idea 100 years from now! That is far enough out to fix the problem.

[Myrina]

18. Oh, not "just" a liberal ... they think he's a "far left extremist"

... which makes me laugh and scratch my head at the same time, because the TRUE Obama is obviously center-right.

[marybourg]

12. I think the President has done very well by us

so far and I trust him to continue doing so.

[limpyhobbler]

14. I trust him no matter what.

just kidding.

[John2]

15. I

took a look at what was in this sequestrian, and Social Security as well as medicare are not in the cuts. The document I saw had Defense cuts and tax increases for everybody across the Board. It also had cuts in Food stamps as well as unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits will not be extended. This will hurt the republicans more and people within their Districts.

The sequestrian cuts has nothing to do with whatever document Bob Woodward has. President Obama has more leaverage now than earlier so I don't know what Woodward thinks he wants to accomplish here by interjecting himself into the Discussions? As far as I'm concerned he is a snake. He needs to go back into the Black Hole he slithered out of.

As far as the Unions, this author needs to rethink or he will make the same miscalculations the GOP did in this Election. The Unions have a lot of power now after this election and their performance in the Midwest. Guess how far 2014 is with elections, specifically in Ohio,Illimois, Wisconsin,Florida and yes California. Rick Scott maybe an endangered species in the next elections if the Obama organization keep their ground forces ready to go. They can really go after some of these Republicans in these Blue States if they don't stand down. And they are not that far from taking over the House.

[MisterScruffles]

20. Bob Woodward

His ego will not permit him to shut up, no matter his irrelevance.