Progressives Doubt Obama Will Protect Social Security From GOP

[Unknown Beatle]

I think anyone who's been paying attention for the past eight years might have a clue as to Obama's default position on Social Security:

When House Republicans signaled last week that they would provoke a fight over Social Security in the next two years, progressive stalwarts like Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren decried the action, with Brown alleging the GOP wanted to "set the stage to cut benefits for seniors and disabled Americans."

But notably silent on the Republican stance, which prevents what has been a routine transfer of revenue between the retirement and disability funds, upping the chances of a crisis for the latter in late 2016, was the Democratic official who might actually be at the table if conservatives succeed in forcing negotiations in the next Congress: President Barack Obama.

TPM asked multiple times last week for the White House's position on the House action, but never received a formal response, a stark contrast to the loud public pronouncements of Brown, Warren, and others. It also invokes the uneasy relationship between the White House and Social Security advocates, who were dismayed by Obama's willingness to accept cuts to the program during the 2011 grand bargain talks with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).

More: Crooks and Liars

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. I will continue to call WH, rep and sens. This coming attack on disabled and elderly is disgusting.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Just because Obama called for cuts in the past...

(or demanded them, depending on whose story you believe) doesn't mean that he actually meant it.

Eleventy-dimensional chess, baby!!!

[upaloopa]

3. My hope is he doesn't need a grand bargain

any more.
If he wants a progressive legacy he has the rest of his term to earn it.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. I believe he wants a legacy of:

1. doing big things, and
2. getting things done that Clinton tried to do but failed

Grand Bargaining the 99% through cutting Social Security and other similar assaults fits the bill very nicely.

[Scuba]

7. He'd better hurry.

[Doctor_J]

11. why do you think he wants a progressive legacy? he's the most corporate friendly

president in history. He's the one who first proposed cutting social security. Is the water warm in denial?

[Phlem]

20. Dude!

[TBF]

31. Yup - he is the one who stated

we need to have a "conversation about Social Security" in his first State of the Union speech.

He didn't have to go there - he WANTED to go there. Because he is backed by Wall Street. That is what 3rd way is ... and he is 3rd way.

He won't be the one to stand in the way of cutting it.

[wavesofeuphoria]

36. +1

[INdemo]

27. How could President Obama ever hope to have a Progressive

legacy?? Have you been living under a rock since 2008. Take a look and at Republican legislation that Obama has caved on and gave a song and dance story for his reasons. Take a look at the number of Republicans(Republican lites included) he has in his cabinet. Take a look back at the number of Wall St. wonders he has appointed to key positions in his cabinet. So how would you ever expect him to have a "progressive legacy.
Here is one for you. I would bet that President Obama will cave on the Keystone Pipe line and approve it.
Then we have the job killing TPP he is pushing and of course there is the Dodd-Frank roll back and the recent gift to big oil.
So again where is the progressive legacy. US Presidents are only allowed to serve two (2) terms.

[JoePhilly]

21. When is it going to happen?

[MannyGoldstein]

24. When is Obama going to call for cuts?

He already did.

[JoePhilly]

28. Certainly he'll MAKE the cuts now, right?

He's got the GOP congress he always wanted, right ?

So when will the cuts happen?

What does the "Manny-the-bold" persona predict?

[MannyGoldstein]

29. He had a deal with Republicans to make cuts

But they backed out in the end.

Making a deal with Obama was even more awful for them than allowing the old and disabled to have three meals each day.

Oh... and you do know that the President needs to go through Congress to cut benefits, yes?

[JoePhilly]

30. You've been fear mongering on this for 6 years ....

Don't be coy.

When do the cuts happen Manny?

[MannyGoldstein]

33. And what have I said, *exactly*, to monger said fear?

I believe that all I said was that our "Democratic" President was working hard to cut Social Security.

And he has.

He's also lied repeatedly about Social Security, claiming that FDR never intended that Social Security be for retirees.

I guess I did predict that Obama would call for cuts in a State of the Union address a few years ago, which he did - using entertaining language.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2011/0707/Briefing-room-word-games-What-s-a-slash-versus-a-cut-in-Social-Security

Betting on the Congressional Republicans to do any particular thing is a fool's errand. The smartest psychologist that I know says "Never try to figure out what crazy people are thinking - you can't, because they're crazy. And you'll just get angry".

[JoePhilly]

38. Will Obama call for SS cuts in the SOTU? Yes or no Manny.

If he wants these cuts as bad as you claim, surely he's going to propose them at this SOTU, right?

Shouldn't you have posted an OP with that prediction by now?

[MannyGoldstein]

40. Not this time

There's something different now that I don't think he wants to tangle with (again) unless his ducks are totally lined up on this, which they probably aren't right now. The last time he proposed cutting meals for the elderly at a SOTU address, there were no national Democrats who would say things like:

"‘Chained CPI’ is just a fancy way to say ‘cut benefits for seniors, the permanently disabled, and orphans’”

[JoePhilly]

41. So he was hell bent on cuts back in 2010, but now you claim he's afraid to even discuss them ...

... because of Elizabeth Warren!!!

The search for the new Messiah continues I guess.

[randys1]

4. Less than a zero chance THIS congress would negotiate a grand bargain with Obama

I think he knew that when he made noise about it the first time, but it is a certainty now.

The next two years will be veto after veto, this I am pretty sure of...

What benefit is it to him, the party, Hillary or Liz etal, for him to piss off 75% of the public just to make a bargain with the most vile filth on the planet?

[Enrique]

8. they could piss of 99.9%

the remaining 0.1% has TONS OF MONEY, and that answers your question "what benefit is it...". And that 0.1% REALLY want to get their hands on Social Security. That is a serious chunk of change for them to play with.

[randys1]

9. But there is zero political benefit for Obama to do it, or Hillary

ALL that money wont win them an election if they cut social security, and they know it

[Enrique]

13. they'll say they're "saving" Social Security

that's popular, right? Why wouldn't people want to save Social Security?

[Doctor_J]

14. He hasn't done anything to benefit the party since he moved into the white house

This is just another move on behalf of wall street.

[stillwaiting]

15. Maybe they'll agree to a grand bargain where they'll pass Obama's TPP and...

Obama will agree to cut Social Security and other Entitlements for the Republicans.

That seems fair.



I do expect for a lot of very big things to get accomplished in the next 2 years, and I don't expect that I will like much of it.

[jeff47]

5. I'm not sure we want to stop the Republicans

from demanding Social Security cuts in late 2016.

There might be another event 'round that time, when our "inevitable" candidate is going to need some help. At least if she insists on using the same old strategy that lost for her in 2008, and lost for Democrats in general in 2010 and 2014.

Republican attacks on Social Security were sure helpful in 2006.

[Babel_17]

10. I'm looking for nothing less than a line in the sand from my party

I expect our elected officials to populate the barricades, if that's what it takes. Take names and any sell outs face consequences like petitions calling for their resignation and fund raisers for primary challenges.

Let the Republicans own all the consequences of proposing any cuts.

[SMC22307]

12. I don't trust him at all on this.

And I truly hope he proves me wrong.

[Teamster Jeff]

16. Obama needs republicans to pass TPP

He's gonna make some kind of deal. Cut SS or something else repulsive.

[truebluegreen]

17. He doesn't need to bribe Republicans to pass TPP.

That said, I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing more of the Grand Bargainer in Chief giving away the store.

[G_j]

18. Social Security Advocates? -& I thought all Democrats were Social Security Advocates,

It used to be the untouchable, third rail. Hello?????

[Jackpine Radical]

19. You don't want to be hampering his ability to make

sophisticated and deceptive 14-dimensional chess moves here. He's going to feint by permitting the Republicans to pass legislation to cut SS but will baffle them when he refuses to veto it.

[madville]

22. It's an interesting issue

I remember reading about it initially in the 2013 SSA trustee summary. If they start drawing from OASDI in order to fund the SSDI shortfall, the large trust fund will be depleted 7 years faster, empty in 2026 instead of the current depletion date of 2033.

Bottom line, for these programs to remain solvent they need more revenue. People are living longer everyday, corporations move jobs offshore, automation eliminates more jobs everyday, etc. Less people working means less revenue into the programs, they need to go ahead and raise the current income cap on contributions.

[TBF]

32. ^ Straight up BS right here.

Bottom line, a lot of folks die before they even collect a penny. Had this been a lock-box program from day one there would be no question of "solvency".

This is a made-up crisis generated in order to privatize the program.

[marmar]

34. "This is a made-up crisis generated in order to privatize the program."

[Rex]

23. This one thinks he will.

The GOP got their fucked up bill in Congress. I bet that is all he gives them for the next two years.

[SidDithers]

25. He'll probably announce cuts in his SOTU speech...

This year for sure.

Sid

[TheNutcracker]

26. He will be the most disliked president ever in the U.S. if he allows ONE CUT to Soc. Sec.

He knows this. The real question is does he care?

[MannyGoldstein]

37. Of course, under US law, he can only *ask Congress* for cuts

As he did in a previous State of the Union Address.

[JoePhilly]

39. So clearly he WILL ask them for cuts at the SOTU, right?

That's what you mean isn't it?

[treestar]

35. LOL

Maybe they should have been "inspired" to vote in the mid terms.

The government will be shut down. No social security there, either.