Liberal groups mobilize for ‘fiscal cliff’ fight over Social Security, Medicare

[alp227]

Source: washington post

With President Obama seeking a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” liberal groups that campaigned aggressively for his reelection are mobilizing to oppose concessions they fear he could make on Medicare and Social Security.

Leaders of the nation’s labor unions and other liberal groups are planning Tuesday to press Obama at the White House to reject the kind of cuts in Medicare and Social Security that he has previously offered to make. On Thursday, left-leaning lawmakers and seniors groups plan to rally on Capitol Hill against any changes to entitlements.

Republicans are demanding entitlement changes as part of any deal to reduce the federal deficit. Top GOP lawmakers have said they could agree to raise fresh tax revenue — taking a step closer to the Democratic position that the wealthy pay more — but only if the White House accepts the type of entitlement changes that many liberals abhor.

During debt negotiations with House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) in summer 2011, Obama tentatively agreed to increase Medicare premiums and later boost the eligibility age for the program from 65 to 67. He also was willing to modestly reduce Social Security payments by using a less-generous formula for making cost-of-living increases. After those talks collapsed, Obama did not include similar proposals in his debt-reduction plan released last fall.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/liberal-groups-mobilize-for-fiscal-cliff-fight-over-social-security-medicare/2012/11/12/b2c98f64-2cf7-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_singlePage.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Feet.

Fire.

[Liberalynn]

3. exactly

no cuts, no deals on SS or Medicare

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. No more negotiating with the GOPigs.

They have lost and they will pretend that they have won.

Yeah, feet to fire. Burn those MoFo's.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

13. +1 nt

[Maplegrass]

2. This where we have to get tough.

We have to let the President know that we re-elected him to protect these programs, and we will not accept any cuts or compromises on these core values.

[on point]

5. Here's the deal

Last edited Tue Nov 13, 2012, 01:41 AM - Edit history (1)

Yes to spending cuts:
Cut the pentagon budget 500 billion per year, NO OTHER CUTS NEEDED!

Yes to tax simplification:
All income, regardless of source such as dividends and capital gains (after cost basis) taxed at the same rate.

Tax hikes:
Probably best to return to Clinton era rates for all, except those over a $Million per yr. Return these rates to 70% until ALL debt run up by supply side economics under Republicans is paid off COMPLETELY. Then back down to 50% for them.
OK some room for compromises here. Only 65% for the wealthy. We can give that up in negotiations....

Yes to Social Security Fix:
Raise the tax cap - Problem solved.

Medicare:
More difficult to solve and will take some real work. Ways to start
1. Single payer, that will save 30% of the cost alone easy.
2. Work on operational costs savings, like a single national health care card, with a single set of records No need to fill in forms, by hand, for each Dr visited, no need for all those DR offices to type them in by hand. - more money saved.
3. Fund medical education for general practitioners - eg practice 10 yrs as a GP, at reduced rate and medical school PAID for. More money saved, and a major health care problem adverted.
4. Now that all income is taxed the same, including for medicare, that will add some revenue and also help some.

Any other suggestions from others?

[southmost]

10. great concise set of ideas

[ProudProgressiveNow]

14. +1 nt

[Maineman]

20. On Medicare and health care costs...

Americans currently eat a lot of corporate engineered junk classified as food. When we develop degenerative diseases, we take slow acting poisons classified as medicines, which gradually create the need for more "medicines". We need to keep in mind that drug companies are in business for one reason: to make a profit. Mainstream doctors are their dealers.

Everybody in the country can help reduce health care costs by making an educated effort to be healthy. Minimize sugar, wheat, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and dairy products. Maximize veggies, berries, raw nuts and seeds, salmon, and organic foods including chemical free meats.

Three cornerstones of health: eat wisely, exercise wisely, avoid pharmaceutical chemicals.

[CTyankee]

22. On Medicare spending, I would require a system whereby the general practioners are "gate

keepers" when it comes to referrals to specialists. For instance, I know that I can see a cardiologist for treatment of my high blood pressure. However, I have no indication of heart disease and can be treated with medication by my GP alone. On my yearly checkup he does the necessary basic tests and exams to see if I have anything else going on. The GP's role needs to be expanded in this regard. It's a waste of money to have someone like me treated by a cardiologist...

[Jimbo S]

29. It will take more than that

Former US Comptroller General David Walker recently did a cross-country tour advocating reforms to balance the budget and preserve SSi far into the future. Personally, I don't think either party has all the answers. I attended Walker's presentation and left feeling he had more good ideas than bad.

http://keepingamericagreat.org/10-million-a-minute-tour/

--

The link to the report can be found here:
http://keepingamericagreat.org/educate-yourself/learn-the-solutions/read-restoring-fiscal-sanity-report/

[xtraxritical]

30. You neglect the most obvious "fix" for Medicare

allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies.

[SoapBox]

6. Man up, Prez O...

just say NO!

We gave you "Political Capital"...Use it.

[wellspring]

19. The midterm elections are next.

It's the base, not the independents and more apathetic wishy washies that vote in midterm elections. If you don't inspire the base in a midterm election, you lose, just like we lost in 2010. Appeasing the GOP now is like treating a midterm election as if it were a presidential election. Evidently the White House doesn't know the difference.

But why worry about that? Let's hold hands with the GOP, cave into them, and drive off the cliff together like Thelma and Louise.

[John2]

7. Yeah

the Blue Dogs and media Pundits need to get out of our way unless they want to get ran over with what we got for the GOP in 2014. In one year, I'm looking forward to this fight with the GOP. They have already got us mad. The President is just the messenger. The GOP is dealing with us.

[Samantha]

8. Harry Reid's response: "We are not going to mess with Social Security"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/social-security-harry-reid_n_2093482.html

'Top Democrats in the U.S. Senate are saying this week that they won't push changes to Social Security as part of a deal to reduce the federal budget deficit.

"We are not going to mess with Social Security," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters as he left a news conference Wednesday, according to Reuters.

During the conference, Reid invited Republicans to "dance" rather than fight over the so-called "fiscal cliff" -- the nickname given a looming expiration of tax cuts and spending cuts that will take effect at the end of the year."

Sam

[Cha]

11. Thanks Sam! I'm going to have to be passing this link around that you

provided. A lot of people freaking out.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

15. +1 nt

[Cha]

9. Reported on DU the other day.."Schumer on tv: "Social Security is OFF The TAble"!!..

Medicare has gotten Cuts but IT WASN'T TO BENEFITS. It WAS DEADWOOD. The gopropaganda Machine LIED about his during the Campaign and of course a lot of people believed it.

Good for the Liberals Groups highlighting WHAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

[JoeyT]

16. Yeah, but they're giving Obama cover, too.

He needs people to the left of him to be vocal. That way when Fox/CNN start calling him the socialiest socialist that ever did social he can point out that he's being extremely reasonable.

[Cha]

17. That's true.. Here's another "We are not going to mess with Social Sec" from Harry Reid ..

this week

'Top Democrats in the U.S. Senate are saying this week that they won't push changes to Social Security as part of a deal to reduce the federal budget deficit.

"We are not going to mess with Social Security," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters as he left a news conference Wednesday, according to Reuters.

During the conference, Reid invited Republicans to "dance" rather than fight over the so-called "fiscal cliff" -- the nickname given a looming expiration of tax cuts and spending cuts that will take effect at the end of the year."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/social-security-harry-reid_n_2093482.html

[Fearless]

12. We will not compromise with lives. Period.

[grahamhgreen]

18. SS does not add one nickel to the deficit. No cuts. No way.

[Kingofalldems]

21. K and R for all the repubs

[plethoro]

23. Count me in. And I will be one of those

who will not be nice about it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

24. (1) Eliminate the cap on SS taxes and (2) make all income including foreign-sourced capital gains

subject to SS taxes.

[kansasobama]

25. I will take cuts if

I am a hardcore liberal but I am also a realist. I am willing to take cuts, if, and only if, they just end Bush tax cuts for the rich. If they do that, I am ok with no tax cuts for me as well(middle-class).

What makes me angry is rich want their cuts but I am asked to sacrifice.

They could even give voucher as an option for Medicare if Bush tax cuts are history. We do not have to choose it? Again, absolutely no to deductions, closing loopholes, if Bush tax cuts stay.

By the way, liberals should not sit at home in 2014 like they did in 2010. If they had not, this cliff would never have happened. If you sit out, you are destroying the future. Sometimes, we need to learn to take small successes despite disappointment.

President's best chance at maneuvering is NOW, not in a year. So, this is the time to pressure, but please, do not sit out in 2014 if the deal is less than ideal. As long as it is not a monumental cave in like in 2010, we should be ok.

[JoeyT]

26. Liberals didn't sit at home

in 2010, independents and moderates did. I'm not even sure it was the compromises that caused it. I think it was just poor messaging. HCR was out there, but little was being done to educate people on how it would help them personally.

I'm cool with my taxes being raised too. I'm far from rich, but as long as the programs to help the elderly and the poor aren't cut, I can certainly deal with paying a little more.

[dtom67]

27. LOWER THE RETIREMENT AGE AND RAISE THE CUT-OFF FOR PAYING IN TO SS up + $300k

This would actually be better for the economy. Making people work til they DIE is not the American dream...

[elbloggoZY27]

28. A Fed

I did not vote for President Obama to sell us out. We had our salaries frozen and that was a real slap in the face. Also, we have a cub scout Union that has no snap and sells it constituents down the drain.

We need real reforms now. It is long overdue since other Western Countries have real Union representation.

Also for the record I am a Vietnam Veteran.

[limpyhobbler]

31. k/r nt

[and-justice-for-all]

32. The best thing to do would be nothing...

just let it roll, the Shrub cuts will end (2 years to late) and no action will be taken against the middle class and poor. No cuts will be made to SS, Medicare, Medicaid or other needed social services if they just let it go.