White House begins new push for social spending cuts

[blindpig]

White House begins new push for social spending cuts

President Barack Obama convened a new round of bipartisan talks on raising the federal debt ceiling and slashing domestic social programs with a meeting that began at the White House shortly after 6 p.m. on Sunday. Eight top congressional leaders, four each from the Republican and Democratic parties, joined Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and White House aides for several hours of talks, then announced plans to reconvene on Monday.

The talks began in the wake of the emphatic rejection by House Republicans of any tax increases for the wealthy. Speaker John Boehner announced Saturday night that there was no support for the relatively minor tax increases proposed by Obama Thursday as part of a “grand bargain” that would have put major cuts in Social Security on the table, in addition to the huge cuts in Medicare and Medicaid already being discussed. The deal also included a pledge to carry out sweeping tax “reform” to lower rates for corporations and the wealthy.

Many House Democrats publicly criticized Obama for injecting Social Security into the discussion on deficit reduction, but it was the House Republicans, particularly those linked to the ultra-right Tea Party faction, who effectively vetoed the larger deal.

Whatever the immediate results of the current talks, Obama’s decision to put cuts in Social Security on the agenda has enormous political significance. For decades, the Democratic Party identified itself politically with the basic social programs established by Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal of the 1930s. Now, for the first time, a Democratic president has taken the initiative to attack Social Security, going beyond even what the Republican right is prepared to undertake at this juncture.

more...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jul2011/budg-j11.shtml

[Starry Messenger]

1. recommend.

[dionysus]

2. right on, comrade.

[CrossChris]

3. To pay for Bush tax cuts. Wheeee! nt

[blindpig]

7. Of course, the current war spending has nothing to do with it.

When ya continue the policies of your predecessor you own them.

[CrossChris]

17. That too! We're all Bushies now!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee! nt

[amborin]

21. K&R and here's a chart:

http://www.stonybrook.edu/workingclass/publications/Comparing_cost_2011.pdf

[indepat]

46. BHO now seems to wholly own junior's tax cuts, wars, and so many other policies, initiatives, and

hold-over appointments. :shrug: :patriot:

[robinlynne]

47. Actually the war spending is about 20-25% of the size of the tax cuts.

The tax cuts are the real economic problem. I'm not arguing in favor of war, mind you, just saying how gargantuan those tax cuts are.

[tekisui]

9. To pay for the Bush-Obama tax cuts and the Obama Wars.

[SidDithers]

4. Unrec for wsws...nt

Sid

[RC]

20. Recommended to cancel your unrec for blindly blaming the messenger

without checking the message.

[Marr]

24. Rec for Sid's displeasure... nt

[chill_wind]

27. Rec. Don't they have any discussion boards in Canada

you could use for your own personal playground?

[Ruby the Liberal]

38. LOL!

Oh, and Rec.

[Mimosa]

55. ^ LOL! ^ n/t

[Maven]

31. REC

REC REC REC REC REC

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DURHAM D]

5. I may post this over and over again...

Obama went to D.C. to make war on the middle class, not Republicans. This article is from January of 2007.

"Shushing the Baby Boomers"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/weekinreview/21broder.html?adxnnl=1&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1310396691-5ibrSkIblIl6GeqZVjtBtQ

Should be no surprise what he is doing.

[gateley]

6. This is bullshit and imflammatory. Granted, this was written before

his presser today, but just the same.

He has NEVER said "cuts". This is pure projection.

[SidDithers]

8. Consider the source...nt

Sid

[divvy]

12. No, he said "strengthen" SS in a "Bi-partisan" way.

What exactly do you suppose that means? Spending more?

[gateley]

16. I don't "suppose" -- I just don't know for sure, and am trying to

keep my blood pressure under control until I know for sure there's cause for outrage. Seriously.

[TheKentuckian]

26. No he said trim and regardless of what he said, one would be delusional to entertain

the fantasy that Obama has got the Republicans to agree to maybe honestly the largest tax increase in history via removing the cap or applying the SS tax to capital gains or any other possibly beneficial "change".

In context, what are the possibilities and why the hell has this President consistently pursued ways to get cuts including resurrecting the Catfood Commission after Congress passed on it?

How is he going to be able to constantly push for action here and not actually put himself in position to include cuts before even getting anything exchange.
We lose automatically, no matter what "deal" we get because we are making their argument already and it comes down to a debate on balance and how much.

[blindpig]

23. 'Bipartisan' means that the ruling class is in agreement. n/t

[robinlynne]

48. puleese. Let go of the fantasy. It was ok last week. Not any longer.

[divvy]

10. I hope he is a good boy and cuts spending in minority neighborhoods the most

He seems to want the approval of the tea-bag types, so why not take it all the way home and really please them?

[SidDithers]

11. Then the tweed hats will call us whiners!!...

:rofl:

Sid

[divvy]

13. I suppose they would if anyone complained about it.

But hey, nobody will. Remember, we are all supposed to support Mr. Obama without question.

[SidDithers]

14. "support Mr. Obama without question"...

yes, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. You can see that's what you're supposed to do by how the rules are enforced here, with any post not supporting "Mr. Obama without question" being locked or deleted.

:eyes:

Sid

[divvy]

15. I suspect that we are on the same page Sid ...

I was a very strong supporter, and now ..... well lets just say, NOT SO MUCH.

[Bluenorthwest]

53. Here is one of our American former Presidents :

" To announce that there must be no disagreement with the President, or that we should stand by the President right or wrong is not only servile and unpatriotic, but also morally treasonable to the American public." Teddy Roosevelt. He was a Republican, so it is all 'bipartisan' this post, very up the Obama alley.

[Pooka Fey]

49. That's PRESIDENT Obama - he may be a right-wing tool,

but he has earned the title, so we need to use it.

[woo me with science]

18. "It is hard to persuade people to do hard stuff that entails trimming benefits."

"But that is what compromise entails."

[blindpig]

19. Ya don't compromise with theives...

lest you become one.

[Bluenorthwest]

54. Nor with cannibals, lest you become dinner.

nt

[Marr]

25. Yep-- that's the line of the day, in my humble opinion.

Anyone who was previously denying that cuts to benefits are on the table (or hell, still denying it), needs to inhale that one and let it sink in.

[RC]

22. Was there any talks touching on getting our Living Wage Jobs back into this country?

Of course not. Getting our Living Wage Jobs back into this country will take care of all kind of problems, from Social Security and Medicare to gettign past a flat recovery recession.

[blindpig]

29. Shh! Don't disturb the repose of the Job Creators!

They might pick up their toys and leave, then what would we do?

We would be free.

In truth they would never do such a thing, they are nothing without us, they are parasites.

[slay]

28. White House begins new push to lose my vote in 2012

oh wait - they already have lost it.

[oldlib]

30. President Obama should

stay out of the deficit reduction debate. He has done poorly, as his efforts have been directed at Democratic congress people to cut spending, primarily in medicare and SS. He has not focused on the real issue, that is the republican objection to raising taxes on the wealthy. He should leave negotiations to the real Democrats who will hold the GOOP feet to the fire and make the changes needed.

[MilesColtrane]

32. "...a Democratic president has taken the initiative to attack Social Security, going...

beyond even what the Republican right is prepared to undertake at this juncture."


Thank goodness for that gosh-darn Republican right standing strong against Obama's huge, slashing Social Security cuts!

Don't know who is more clueless, the people who write shit like this, or the people who unquestioningly lap it up.

[Bryn]

35. Rec for the "Unrec'der Sid"

:)

[bvar22]

36. We had to kill Social Security in order to "strengthen" it.

Ignorance is Strength

War is Peace

Freedom is Slavery

It was all Joe Lieberman's fault

[nc4bo]

51. Sucking the life from it one drip at a time, hoping no one will pay attention

The whole situation reminds me of what happens to my zucchini plants when squash vine borers get a hold of it. One day the plant looks gorgeous but over the next several days it starts to wilt and turn all sorts of unhealthy colors until finally it's dead.

One way to save the plant is to cut into the stem and inject a concoction into the borer's track to kill it but you'll also have to cover the remaining stem with dirt. Eventually the plant will send out new roots and recover but you'll need to remain vigilant for more borer activity.

All that to say is there is no harm in listening, watching and reacting even if there are those who laugh, belittle and chastise you for your efforts.

[LooseWilly]

37. It's handy when a Democratic president faces no prospect of a primary...

that way there's no need to pretend to give a shit about the non-rich.

This way he's free to embrace the worldview of the bankers and establishment thinkers without any need to worry about another voice pressuring him & the party to extract resources from the wealthy rather than the poor.

Yaaay! :sarcasm:

[slay]

39. +1

if ever we needed someone to primary a sitting Dem president - it is now!

[Taverner]

40. I just don't get the animosity to WSNS

Yes, they are biased

So is Fox, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, AP, Reuters, etc....


The only unbiased news source out there is the Christian Science Monitor. Again, irony that it comes from a religion.

[RC]

42. +1

[bvar22]

43. Agree with you about the Christian Science Monitor.

We live in strange and frightening times.
:toast:

"Through private meetings and back channels, the president and Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio have been feeling out the possibilities of a historic debt deal to include spending cuts as well as entitlement and tax reform.

Details of the talks have been largely secret, but press reports and selective leaks fueled fears on both sides of the aisle that their respective leaders were either weak or on the verge of betraying crucial party values.

For Republicans, that value is no tax increases, especially in a severe economic slump. For Democrats, it’s no cuts to beneficiaries of Medicare and Social Security, especially if the wealthiest Americans aren’t called on for comparable sacrifice. Late last week, frustration broke out in both parties, amid reports that a “grand bargain” could take shape by Sunday.

“Both the Republican and Democratic caucus get frustrated each day in not knowing what’s fact or fiction,” said freshman Rep. James Lankford (R) of Oklahoma, referring to press reports of a $4 trillion deal. “The last thing we want is to have to vote quickly on something this big.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0711/US-debt-talks-trust-gap-between-negotiators-rank-and-file-in-Congress

[Taverner]

45. The CSM has always been a good source for truly unbiased news

And their editorials are almost funny in their milquetoast-ness. For example, one of them was a lengthy treatise on why we should be nicer to each other.

[blindpig]

41. kick

[krabigirl]

44. But the DOD is getting a funding increase. Lol

[somone]

50. The grand deal to kill the New Deal began with Obama's nomination

[edhopper]

56. Obama doesn't believe in

FDR's policies. He believes in Hoover's.

[blindpig]

57. Whether he 'believes' or not.....

that is exactly the course this administration is taking.

Who knows, might could stabilize the economy in ten or fifteen years, but in the meantime....

It is easy for the rich to withstand the 'business cycle', the rest of us, not so much. And that's why the business cycle must be abolished.