Don't the Republicans Know How to Negotiate?

[demwing]

12. First, I rephrased my question

to "When did Obama say cuts to SSN were on the table?"

You talk about cuts, obama talks about modifications. Maybe he means cuts, maybe he means adjusting the retirement age, maybe he means "means testing" above a specified income. Here's his quote from the article you cite:

""We need to look at entitlements, and we have to say, how do we protect and preserve Medicare and Social Security for not just this generation but also future generations?" Obama said. "And that's going to require some modifications, even as we maintain its basic structure."

It's also worth noting that this article is from July 2011. Over a year old, and not necessarily relevant to current and future negotiations, but since we're looking at old quotes, here's another from 2011:

"To put us on solid ground, we should also find a bipartisan solution to strengthen Social Security for future generations. And we must do it without putting at risk current retirees, the most vulnerable, or people with disabilities; without slashing benefits for future generations; and without subjecting Americans’ guaranteed retirement income to the whims of the stock market."

-President Obama, State of the Union 01/25/11