How the White House likes to negotiate. Start with something that sucks, then allow it to get worse.

[Better Believe It]

Tweak This
By Rotwang
August 24, 2010

Crazy Al sure is funny. Steny Hoyer, Chris Van Hollen, Erskine Bowles, Brad Woodhouse, and President Barack Obama, not as funny. But they all have expressed an intention to cut Social Security benefits. Woodhouse, communications director for the Democratic National Committee, says the program needs to be "tweaked." (I remember Brad leading the charge against Bush plans to privatize Social Security; that was awesome.) Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says he cannot reject the possibility of benefit cuts until he knows "what else is in the package." Hoyer seeks to build a bipartisan consensus for reform; consensus, that is, with morons.

Is it fair to anticipate proposals for benefit cuts? There can be no other conclusion from the decision to form a commission to produce recommendations on the long-term U.S. Federal budget deficit. The only factors in that deficit are Social Security and Medicare. Everything else is projected to grow more slowly than Federal revenues. And by the way, whatever its faults, the Obama health care reform radically reduces the long-term deficit. No Social Security fix would come close to having the same impact. If our leaders were serious people they would concentrate on perfecting the health care changes.

The composition of the commission, determined by the White House, dictates some kind of "package" that must include benefit cuts. Surely the Republicans and centrists on the commission would not support a fix based entirely on tax increases. (Whether they would support any sort of tax increase is a good question.)

The default liberal position seems to be that the program is not in crisis, that it needs minor surgery. Once again, political opportunism and rotten principles bode no good for the battle to come. If you begin with the premise that the deficit impact of Social Security ought to be reduced, if not eliminated, you can only do so by, in some way, increasing revenues and reducing benefits. Any compromise would have some of both. And we know how the White House likes to negotiate. Start with something that sucks, then allow it to get worse.

The current gambit of the Democrats is to rail against phantom privatization schemes currently being advanced by the likes of Sharon Angle. Don't forget: we already won this argument. Meanwhile, leading Democrats are non-committal about the likely fruits of the Deficit Commission, which is scheduled to release proposals to a lame-duck Congress after the November elections.

Read the full article at:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/24/tweak_this/

[LAGC]

1. "Last straw" and "line in the sand" are understatements.

If Obama's Catfood Commission recommends cutting Social Security and Obama goes along with it, while the wars still rage and bank bailouts are still happening -- the real causes of the deficit -- all bets are off. Obama will be primaried, and if he doesn't lose the 2012 primary, he will lose the 2012 general election, I have no doubt about it.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[pattmarty]

9. I have "no doubt" either. That will be the ULTIMATE sellout.

[theaocp]

30. FUCKING-A n/t

[defendandprotect]

32. And IF that happens, maybe we'll finally get IRV voting ... where we're not

choosing between corporatge party #1 and corporate party #2 --

[obxhead]

39. No Dem will challenge Obama in 2012.

I wish one would, but it's just not going to happen.

[jgraz]

2. It blows me away that anyone can support this behavior

Least of all, those who purport to be the President's biggest supporters. Any idiot can see this is the road to political ruin.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Rose-colored glasses must be selling great among certain segments of the population. :^(

[defendandprotect]

33. Agree . . .

though the Wall St. Journal and Repugs have been running a very out there propaganda

campaign against Social security for about 25 years now --

It is now Obama picking up that TORCH . . . and we had better move on this quickly!!

How many more impoverished Americans do we want???

Corporations are now getting TWO workers for the same salary they paid 30 years ago!!

CORPORATISM ISN'T FOR AMERICA . . . WHETHER IT'S COMING FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OR

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!


Let's not have a repeat of the Obama/Baucus health care failure which was another win

for the health care industry/pharma -- !!

[katandmoon]

4. Quote of the day. K&R.

[Faryn Balyncd]

5. How many beads would the White House have gotten for Manhatten Island?

....with Alan Simpson in the mix?



:kick:

[Poboy]

6. Recommend.

[pattmarty]

7. Didn't someone famous say something to the effect of..................

............"Stop your grinnin', and drop yur linen"? It seems that may be appropriate for the "catfood" commission. We are going to get "fucked" again.

[Steely_Dan]

43. That's From: Alien

I forgot the actor's name...he also said: Game over, man!

-P

[asdjrocky]

8. Perfectly put.

With me it started with Rick Warren, and has been down hill from that point on.

Public option? What public option?

[Dr.Phool]

10. My suspicions started before the election.

When I started seeing names of top economic advisers like Rubin, Goolsby, Summers, and Geithner. All subscribers to the "Chicago School" of Friedmanomics.

I had "hope" it would be different, and besides, what other choice did I have?

[Bullet1987]

13. Yep! Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine exposes the Chicago Boys

These people are experts at capitalizing off of disasters both natural and man-made. And our current economic crisis is clearly a man-made one. The fact that Obama's administration is filled with Friedmanites should have raised some alarms.

[asdjrocky]

14. Yeah, me too Dr, but there's no way I thought they'd be this bad. nt

[Name removed]

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[Mimosa]

12. K&R

I wish the administration flacks would read this and get a clue.

[Edweird]

15. It's not 'negotiation', it's kabuki theater.

[Name removed]

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[Poboy]

17. The same Obama that makes it ILLEGAL for the gov't to negotiate

prices w/big Pharma.

The very same thing he blasted BUSH for, he flip-flops and imposes on the people, AGAINST their will, against popular support and against their best interests.

[jonnyblitz]

19. K & R. nt

[Faryn Balyncd]

21. (1)Replace Congress with a commission (2)Appoint Satan chairman (3)Pretend to negotiate (4)Simmer...

....until done.

[scarletwoman]

24. Well, it's a plan anyway. Never mind that it's a terrible plan, just let it not be said

that there's NO plan.

[Hissyspit]

22. This all just makes me sad.

:Wedon'thaveasighsmilie:

[Overseas]

28. Me too.

We've seen too many demoralizing compromises already and we want our Democrats to get out and vote.

I would feel better if we saw Senator Bernie Sanders or Senator Al Franken on the review team.

[placton]

23. Hey Kids! Let's All Get out and Vote

and work for Obamarama and the rest of these clowns!

[truedelphi]

25. Proud to be rec number 54.

And grateful for you posting this.

[bvar22]

26. Rec #55

How "THEY" Will cut your Social Security

[Better Believe It]

27. Your link needs to be read. I think the article pretty much nailed it

They'll also want to make huge cuts Medicare and Medicaid.

That's in Phase II of health care reform we can't believe in.

[rhett o rick]

29. The irony is that Bush couldnt harm Social Security. Looks like Pres Obama mite.

One word: "Alan_fucking_Simpson"

[defendandprotect]

31. Better yet, call in the CORPORATES/REPUGS to handle it ....

from Baucus to Simpson and much in between, that's been the response.

I didn't elect Obama so that he could put Republicans in charge of government!!

We went thru this with the economic "team" and with DLC/Rahm -- and now with

Simpson --

If Obama won't fire Simpson, I think we need a new candidate in 2012!!

[Capitalocracy]

34. Here's a good plan on Social Security: DO NOTHING!

Seriously people, why are the Republicans setting the legislative agenda?

The minority that represents the fascist fringe, deciding what issues need to be addressed through legislation? Seriously?

[CLANG]

35. Double "U" tee eff

If they raise the age or lower the benefits, they become the "most hated" as far as I'm concerned.

[laughingliberal]

36. K & R nt

[DeSwiss]

37. K&R n/t

[harun]

38. That does seem to be the pattern.

[maryf]

40. K&Rnt

[Sadie5]

42. Hey...wait a minute

Didn't Obama say just last week that SS is safe on his watch? I smell GOP trickery here.

[maryf]

46. Where is the GOP trickery???

really wondering...

[donheld]

41. every single time nt

[Canuckistanian]

44. Exhibit #! - Offshore Oil Drilling

The WH signallled it's willingness to allow unlimited offshore drilling - at a time when exactly NO ONE was demanding it.

Talk about your bad bargaining positions. Cave first, negotiate later.

[defendandprotect]

45. Doubt this is because they're dumb and don't know what they're doing...!!

We can clearly see what they've been doing since day one --