Can We Please Stop Pretending Obama is “Capitulating” on Social Security?

[Segami]

FireDogLake

Jane Hamsher:


Everywhere you look, the media narrative is that President Obama is “capitulating” to Republicans by agreeing to cuts in Social Security benefits. And I have to ask, where is this collective political amnesia coming from? Obama has made a deliberate and concerted effort to cut Social Security benefits since the time he took office. FDL reported on February 12, 2009 that the White House was meeting behind closed doors to consider ways to cut Social Security benefits, and that the framework they were using was the Diamond-Orszag plan, which was co-authored by OMB Director Peter Orszag when he was at the Brookings Institute.

Obama, Social Security and the Diamond-Orszag Plan
http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/12/obama-social-security-and-the-diamond-orszag-plan/

The birth of the now-ubiquitous “catfood” meme came on February 18, 2009 with this FDL headline:

Hedge Fund Billionaire Pete Peterson Key Speaker At Obama “Fiscal Responsibility Summit,” Will Tell Us All Why Little Old Ladies Must Eat Cat Food
http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/18/hedge-fund-billionaire-pete-peterson-key-speaker-at-obama-fiscal-responsibility-summit-will-tell-us-all-why-little-old-ladies-must-eat-cat-food-so-social-security-can-be-saved/

As I wrote in August of 2010, Peterson’s keynote spot was the worst kept secret in town; I knew about it because I had been on a conference call with about 40 representatives of various DC interest groups, many of whom had received written notice from the White House that Peterson was scheduled to headline the event. But nobody wanted to go on the record for fear of jeopardizing their relationship with the administration in its early days. After FDL broke the news, Peterson was “disinvited” from the summit. Both he and the White House denied everything, but Robert Kuttner subsequently confirmed in the Washington Post that Peterson had, in fact, been scheduled as the keynote speaker that day.



The administration backed off its immediate plans for reforming Social Security. The New York Times reported that they were “running into opposition from his party’s left” who are “vehement in opposing any reductions in scheduled benefits for future retirees.” But NYT columnist David Brooks reported that shortly after the summit, “four senior members of the administration” called him to say that Obama “is extremely committed to entitlement reform and is plotting politically feasible ways to reduce Social Security.” Undeterred, the White House began telling journalists off the record http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1881223,00.html that they were interested in “establishing an independent commission (outside the congressional committee structure) to look at creating a specific reform plan.”



In January of 2010, a bill sponsored by committed Social Security slashers Judd Gregg and Kent Conrad which would have created an official commission to make recommendations about the nation’s deficit was defeated by the Senate on a bipartisan vote — 22 Democrats and 24 Republicans voted no. After the Senate defeat, on February 18, President Obama issued an executive order creating what subsequently became known as the “Catfood Commission” anyway. Unlike Bill Clinton’s Danforth Commission, which ended in deadlock, Obama set this commission up in such a way that it was stacked with deficit hawks who largely agreed on what needed to be done: 12 of the 18 members were to be appointed by Senate and House leaders in each party, and 6 would be appointed by the President. This virtually guaranteed that Social Security privatization fetishist Paul Ryan would be on the commission, as would Gregg and Conrad.










cont'

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2012/12/19/can-we-please-stop-pretending-obama-is-capitulating-on-social-security/
.

[SidDithers]

1. Fuck Jane Hamsher...

Sid

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

12. Why?

Fuck her because she may be wrong, or fuck her because she may be right?

[jpak]

22. Jane and Grover sitting in a tree K I S S I N G

how soon we forget

yup

[progressoid]

26. huh?

What's the connection?

[ray of light]

45. Jane and Norquist formed a deal many years ago...She's one of those progressives who try to take him

out and down..with Grover's help! Follow the money...even is true on blogs!

[progressoid]

64. Oh, Kind of like "Fuck Chuck Schumer"

because he's on the board of PNAC?

[ray of light]

69. Whatever... They claim to be progressive but they sleep with Norquist (metaphorically)

you decide from there...

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

51. Tell you what. Let Sid answer if he will.

[Panasonic]

78. And we all know he'll bullshit his way out of this.

And he does, on the next subthread.

[SidDithers]

62. 'Cause Jane referred to ardent Obama supporters as "the dumbest motherfuckers in the world"...

She's got the fringe left fooled that she's some sort of progressive, all the while she and her Common Sense Media Ad Network were taking money from Republicans.

So, once again, Fuck Jame Hamsher, and fuck all her firebaggers too.

Sid

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

63. She's got the fringe left fooled that she's some sort of progressive.

I guess she's not the only one.

[SidDithers]

67. Alright. I made a good faith effort to answer...

but that's how we're going to play it, is it?

Fine by me. See you around.

Sid

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

76. I was being serious.

There are more than a few people that pass themselves off as progressive but are dyed red or pink.

Go easy on the coffee.

[aquart]

77. "Dyed red or pink"?

Oh, I just LOVE purge-passionate purists.

Teeny tiny tent people. You know, like the Tea Party did for the Republicans.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

79. Hmmm. Oh, I just LOVE purge-passionate purists.

You can love whatever you wish.

I love Progressives and Democrats that actually act like Progressives and Democrats.


If I wanted a republican, which I don't, I would vote for them.

[NYC Liberal]

24. I heartily agree with this sentiment!

[roguevalley]

47. and if shr is right .... whst then

[NYC Liberal]

59. And if Fox News is right about something ... what then?

I still won't give a shit what Fox says.

[roguevalley]

81. who does.

[JDPriestly]

49. If you don't know who Pete Peterson is, please Google his name.

Pete Peterson chaired the committee that picked Tim Geithner for the Fed.

Pete Peterson, Tim Geithner and Obama have been in the same bed since the beginning.

And now I wonder what Pete Peterson protege Obama will pick for Secretary of the Treasury.

Please write and call the White house now to protest the cuts to Social Security benefits. This is for real. Only a concerted effort on our parts to stave this off will prevent this.

The Wall Street guys are watching out for their fortunes and leaving the rest of the country hanging.

Occupy Wall Street is quite right in picking out the villains in this.

Information is our shield. Please Google Pete Peterson.

[leveymg]

52. That's obnoxious, Sid.

But just what we've come to expect from you around here.

[SidDithers]

56. I'm wounded that you feel that way...

because, you know, you're a poster that I hold in such high regard.

Sid

[leveymg]

74. I saw that little sneer when you said that, Sid.

[A Simple Game]

58. Nice contribution to the conversation. Too bad she was right.

Maybe some on DU will forgive her for being right. I guess you won't be one of them.

[donheld]

82. Funny. Attack FDL but not the content of what was said.

[Marr]

2. Indeed. This is something the political/business establishment has been

maneuvering toward for years, and Obama is very much a DLC/Third Way/"New" Democrat. This is one of their priorities.

[leftstreet]

3. +1 Voters destroyed the GOP in 2006 & 2008

Obama spends 4 years pretending he's a victim of a political party the country trounced

[arjazz]

8. Reverse psychology - He played Democratic voters like a violin

[MH1]

32. And restored them to power in 2010, for whatever insane reason.

so what's your point?

I don't see Obama pretending to be a "victim", anyway. He is negotiating. "Negotiate" doesn't mean, "you come over and accept all my positions", unfortunately. Because the republicans DO have SOME power - which the voters gave them in 2010, and failed to rescind in 2012 - we don't get to have all the positions WE want in the bargain.

If I were selfish, I'd say f*** 'em all and go over the cliff. But that would be very harmful to some people so that means we need some kind of deal.

[JEB]

66. The cliff was the best deal

we could negotiate last time around. Cutting benefits for grandma and disabled Vets to protect the lardass Defense (war) Dept. is not a better deal. Off the cliff.

[leftyohiolib]

41. yes but hen the voters stayed home in 2010 - leading to all those republicans that are now trying

to destroy ss

[Fumesucker]

57. Americans like winners who act like they won

Obama acted like he lost, voters didn't like that.

[amborin]

4. not to mention the FICA cuts.....now, for first time in history, it is true to say that Social Secur

ty adds to the debt/deficit

just an accidental consequence?

[JDPriestly]

50. The FICA cuts, cuts in payroll taxes that support Social Security and Medicare, are the giveaway

that this attack on Social Security, on seniors who do not have fat pensions, is not merely a mistake. It is part of a strategy, a carefully planned strategy to weaken and do away with Social Security.

Wall Street wants the retirement money. It wants all of it. It wants all of it now. Or at least as soon as possible.

And Obama owes a lot to Wall Street. So this is how he is paying them off.

Obama was better than Romney, but we had better keep him on his toes and aware that the people are not going to accept this.

I will be visiting with friends who spent some months in Spain recently, and I am interested in hearing what they say about the situation there.

This austerity business is worldwide. The only countries not imposing austerity on their poor and working classes are the developing countries where the world's wealthy have invested their money.

We are not in this fight alone. The peripheral states of Europe are going through what we are going through -- Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, etc.

I have a feeling that Occupy Wall Street may be gaining supporters now that we see what the President and Congress have in store for us.

[HiPointDem]

73. "adding to the deficit" = repaying part of the money borrowed from SS. The 1983 SS amendments

put that plan into effect -- thirty years of overpayment with repayment when the boomers retired.

calling it "adding to the deficit" is repeating the talking points. it "added to the surplus" for 30 years.

[plethoro]

5. This is the bottom line...............nft

ddddddddddddddd

[RomneyLies]

6. I always DESPISED FDL

I'm man enough now to admit I was wrong about them all along.

[Hydra]

71. Who wanted to see a truth this ugly?

I had misgivings even from the beginning(FISA ripped to pieces), but never in my mind would I have believed something this big and horrible had I not seen it happen myself.

[arjazz]

7. It was very well planned and thought out from the get go

[woo me with science]

9. Yes, this administration has been corporatist from Day One.

I am constantly sickened by the references to "caving" and "lacking a spine" and "being too timid." This is not a psychological problem. This President knows exactly what he is doing, and he works for the corporations.

What we are witnessing right now will either be a devastating assault on seniors, or it will be a despicable propaganda exercise in "saving" a program that never should have been on the table in the first place.

I still think there is a good chance that SS will be ostentatiously "saved" at the last minute in order to get the people to praise and have faith in corporate Democrats once again, rather than looking around and demanding to know why the corporate assaults continue on virtually every front, the police state grows, schools are targets for corporate deform, free trade agreements are on the horizon, bankers go unpunished, and absolutely nothing of substance is being done to slow or reverse the corporate looting of the poor and middle classes.

Nothing real or significant is being done to help us. In fact, the attacks are escalating. Yet we will be asked to misinterpret the withholding of yet another contrived threat as real advocacy on our behalf.

[RC]

13. +100

In no way does Social Security contribute to the debt or the deficit. It should not be on the table. In fact, they should not even be discussing it during budget negations.

In fact if the Administration were actually about the people, Obama would tell the cretins that any legislation containing cuts to Social Security would be vetoed. Don't hold you breath.

[Segami]

14. +1000

The proof is in the pudding.

[forestpath]

17. +1

[Egalitarian Thug]

75. +1 and look at the choices made available to us. We have a binary system of 0/0. n/t

[Isoldeblue]

10. Where am I reading this thread?

I thought this was the DU site, not Fox or the Heritage Foundation.

[Doctor_J]

16. Why would Heritage complain? this was their plan.

As for Fox, two minutes after he signs the cuts, their screen will be plastered with "Obama cuts seniors' benefits". That's the tragedy of the whole thing. Obama is pandering to people who hate his guts, and spitting in the face of those who actually want him to succeed.

[think_critically]

35. how can you say that

The country is far more liberal today than it was 10 or 15 years ago. We now have a plan that gets us towards universal health care and ultimately towards a single payer system. It is now acceptable to raise taxes on people making over 250k a year. Gay people can openly serve in the military and a sitting U.S. president came out in support of gay marriage and after that opposition to it plummeted. We are now going to have gun control legislation pushed through, and hopefully immigration reform will happen this year. Big banks are far more regulated, big business has been pushed out of the student loan business, and there have been numerous cases of the justice dept busting up monopolies by big business. Things have certainly changed. I don't see how that can be denied. Why do you think they hate him so much? I'm not kool aid drinker but facts are facts. What's more, the guy freaking ran as a centrist and a pragmatist. That was his appeal. Why are you now surprised when he governs like one?

[ieoeja]

60. Just a few minor corrections.

Big banks are LESS regulated than they were 15 years ago. The removed regulations were much more stringent than those we have today and thus LESS Liberal today.

Obamacare was written by Republicans long ago. The fact that Republicans now oppose it, while Democrats have dropped their opposition, is evidence that the two parties are LESS Liberal today.

It is acceptable to raise taxes a little, but nowhere near to what they were 15 years ago. The tax holiday lowered taxes far more than anybody is talking about restoring which is LESS Liberal than 15 years ago.


History pre-dates George W Bush.

[progressoid]

65. +1 ^this^

[bvar22]

61. "gets us towards universal health care " ???

No it doesn't.
Mandatory Health Insurance =/= Universal Health CARE.
The ACA "Gets Us Toward" a completely Privatized, For Profit system.
THAT IS "The Uniquely American Solution".

How do we move from:
[font size=3]Every American MUST BUY Health Insurance (of questionable quality)
from Private For Profit Health Insurance Corporations[/font]

TO

[font size=3]Publicly Owned, Government Administered National Health Insurance ?[/font]


Exactly WHAT is the next step?
We would have to UNDO the ACA to take a step toward a REAL Single Payer Health Care plan.

We are going to be STUCK with this abomination of Privatized mandatory For Profit Health Insurance [font size=3]for a Long Fucking Time![/font]




You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[denvine]

42. I agree with you!

I'm tired of seeing DUers turning so quickly into raving paranoids. I found this site because I needed solace from the msm. Now I think I might have to take a break. It is sounding like Fox. I'm really sorry to see fellow DUers turn on the President so quickly.

[brush]

46. Agreed

I'm also tired of the DUers turning so quickly on the President. It's like no one knows what the word negotiation means. We are not going to get every damn thing we want but we'll get most of it if we don't all splinter into pouting little groups of children because we didn't get everything on our Christmas list. If we had backed the President in the 2010 election the repugs wouldn't have been able to lock up the majority in the House. They did and now they are using that power. All monetary bills begin there, that's the way it works and negotiations have to take place. The President is not dealing with Nancy Pelosi now it's with Boner and the repugs.

[leftyohiolib]

43. and we thought the president was a democrat, we thought ss was off the table seems like the only

thing the dems CAN keep off the table is bush's impeachment

[Romulox]

11. Good cop/bad cop, or "the unreasonable partner"...

It's a rudimentary strategy, but given the level of political discourse in this country, it is more than effective.

[Doctor_J]

15. Sad but true

My impassioned OP in favor of Obama posted in the 2008 Primaries forum is no longer accessible unfortunately. It got about 50 rec's - outlined that while I thought Hillary would be a perfectly good candidate, and president, I truly believed that Obama would be transformative - a leader in taking the country back from the Reagan/Bush pigs. I swallowed the hook, line, and sinker. My radar went up when he didn't pardon Rove's political prisoner, Don Siegelmann, on 1/21/2009.

the defining image of the presidency will be of him pissing on the collective grave of FDR, JFK, LBJ, and Carter while dreaming fondly of Ronald Reagan.

[woo me with science]

18. A lot of people were snowed.

The corporatists are very, very good at what they do. They have deep pockets, and they plan ahead.

[Segami]

19. They are Masters of their craft.

Everyday, through marketing & promotion, the corporatists convince people to impulse-buy-shop for products they don't really need and in some cases, will never use.

[woo me with science]

23. Marketing

is exactly what we have now instead of representative government.

They decide what policies they want, and try to market them in a way that will ensure acceptance and passivity from the nation.

Hence the Third Way spin...

[Doctor_J]

20. Election night 2008 was the closest I have come to tearing up

in about 40 years. Wife and I were sitting there and when Olbermann came back from the break and turned the West Coast blue I actually got a little disoriented. I still have my memorabilia from 2008 - copies of ChiTrib, WaPo, NYT and a couple other front pages, bumper & window stickers, ...What a shame.

[duffyduff]

30. All one had to do was actually pay attention to what he said

rather than follow the media narrative.

Obama was always a neoliberal.

Take a look at his horrendous education policies and tell me he is actually to the left of Bush on that issue.

[JDPriestly]

55. Look. Obama is a great person, a wonderful father and thousands times better than Romney.

Obama is a corporatist, but I think it is mostly out of stupidity, not understanding economics, perhaps lacking a capacity for understanding it.

Obama is a great speaker. His talent is language and conveying an emotional message without portraying too much emotion. He is brilliant when it comes to dealing with people.

He is way over his head when it comes to economics and thinking through the effects that an economic policy will have on the very people he will tell you he wants to defend and care for.

Like his own children who will suffer as our economy worsens with these horrible Republican measures.

We don't get a president who is perfect.

Right now our job is to let the president know that we cannot support him if he accepts any austerity measures that will result in reduced incomes for people Social Security, SSI, Medicare and other such programs including the federal employees' retirement system.

We have to let him know that we will not accept these changes just because we like him. I do not support even those I love the most when they are doing something that is wrong or something that will hurt me or others.

The Sandy Hook killings can instruct here. There is one thing I am certain of about the mother of the Sandy Hook killer. She saw the warning signs in her son. She did not want to raise them into her consciousness. She wanted to make excuses for him. She probably could not bear the pain of realizing that he was going in a very wrong direction, that his anger was becoming uncontrollable.

But she did not do enough to stop her son. She was the only person in a position to stop him. And she did not act when she needed to.

Chaining the CPI would be a terrible, terrible mistake on Obama's part. It is unacceptable. Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit.

Or at least it didn't until Obama gave a "vacation" on the payroll taxes. That Obama agreed to or advocated for that reduction in the payroll taxes that fund Social Security is evidence that Obama does not care about Social Security and may even side with those who blatantly want to destroy it.

We need to correct Obama on this point.

Even those who are angry with us DUers who are speaking out to oppose these cuts will agree with us that the chained CPI should not be tolerated.

Those who are criticizing us for speaking out will soon be shaken out of their denial when the truth becomes evident.

I hope that Obama changes his mind.

Our defense budget can be easily cut by enough money to pay for traditional Social Security benefits. We do not need to extend our empire any further. We would be better off if we had fewer imports from other countries not more. What in the world are we defending with our huge, overblown defense budget?

Are we to have people in their 80s dying from their bed sores in nursing homes in order to meddle in the politics of countries continents away from us?

[woo me with science]

68. Obama is not stupid.

Far from it.

[JDPriestly]

70. His economic policies, with regard to the chained cost of living increases, his appointments of

Geithner and Bernanke, reflect either stupidity or corruption. I prefer to think it is stupididty.

He could have appointed a number of other people.
He could understand what the chained cost of living increases will mean for everyone in America.

I really don't think he does.

Most Americans do not really understand how compound interest and the concept behind it affect their lives. We would not be in a deep hole debt-wise (and I am talking about personal debt here) if we did. Americans would not have taken on debts they could not pay if they understood compound interest beyond just a very superficial understanding.

[woo me with science]

72. Corporate money floods Washington, both parties included.

Last edited Fri Dec 21, 2012, 03:42 AM - Edit history (2)

And our government and electoral system have been deliberately restructured in countless ways over the past 30 years to *increase* the influence of corporate money in the system.

To assume naivete or stupidity as the cause of the problem here, particularly in the context of an administration that has served corporate interests in virtually every other area of policy as well, is, IMO, naive in itself.

There has been great reluctance among some Democrats to identify the real problem, for fear of insulting our politicians. This has nothing to do with Obama's psychological makeup or personal quirks. We have a systemic problem of corporate power and influence driving policy, even within the Democratic Party.

I think, with this assault, even some of the most hardcore optimists will be forced past the point of denial.

[NYC Liberal]

21. Haha! FireDogLake...

Now where's that unrec button?

[Sheepshank]

31. well said!!!! n/t

I want an unrec button!!!

[MH1]

33. What you said.

This is why we need an unrec button.

[jpak]

25. FDL = LOL

douchebags

yup

[MjolnirTime]

27. Hamsher, Queen of the Trolls

[truebrit71]

48. ^^^This^^^^

[OldDem2012]

28. Pffffttttt! Next! nt.

[stupidicus]

29. I never started

he made it clear it was likely/potentially on the table for him as far back as 2006.

[Ganja Ninja]

34. No I think all the hysteria is healthy.

We're always told "Call you're Senator now!" "Call the White House now let them know how you feel!" why should we be quiet now?

Remember it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. We need to keep squeaking until this is over.

[Segami]

40. I agree. The devil will be in the final details......you know,

the little hidden devil ones you never read about until its signed and past too late to change. Standing with you and squeaking proudly!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

36. Jane Hamsher? Really? Trashing thread

[MNBrewer]

37. Who's "pretending"?

[reeds2012]

38. Occupy? ...What's that? ...You know, Occupy!

You know, where people marched and marched and appeared to understand all high up politicians and presidents work for the banks, military, big pharma, and other corporate capitalistic interests, not the people.

I guess faith dies hard here. But the writing is on the wall, and when the cat food is on the dinner plate people will still be defending party over reality.

[Whisp]

39. what a surprise. Jane's stink is back.

firedog lake can go jump in it. Destestable repuglican creatures they are.

[damnedifIknow]

44. Yep

[link:http://

|

[craigmatic]

53. Yup he has been more than willing to cut SS all along.

[Laelth]

54. k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t

-Laelth

[Poll_Blind]

80. DU REC +1 nt

PB