Why President Obama is NOT an Advocate for Social Security

jtown1123

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Fri Jan-07-11 11:25 AM
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Why President Obama is NOT an Advocate for Social Security

Edited on Fri Jan-07-11 11:54 AM by jtown1123

He is a fiscal hawk, first and foremost. I think some of us here really want to believe a Democrat would never cut Social Security, but we cannot ignore the signs that it could happen.

The other day Sam Seder interviewed progressive blogger Digby, who mentioned a very important meeting she and other progressive activists and writers had with President Obama and his staff shortly before his inauguration. This interview is incredibly important to fully understand where the White House stands on Social Security. The part starts around 2:45: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryp3nIQdytc

The subject of this meeting? A "Grand Bargain" with the Republicans. They planned to fix "entitlements" and cut the deficit. At this meeting, Gene Sperling, who will take over Larry Summers' position and will be one of Obama's economic advisors on Social Security said he thought it would be great to "fix Social Security" as far as the eye could see and it would be a great achievement. Sperling is supposedly a "Liberal" who wrote this piece in 2005 about "fixing" Social Security in the form of "private add on 401(k)" accounts and other questionable reforms: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/01/b289151.html

Then we have fiscal summits featuring anti-Social Security crusaders like Pete Peterson. The fact that this guys is given any credence to talk about Social Security is highly concerning: http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/04/pete-petersons-anti-entitlement-juggernaut-gets-fueled-obama

Then we have the Fiscal Commission. Set up by our President, who appointed to extremely vocal anti-Social Security deficit hawks Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. Erskine Bowles sits on the board of Morgan Stanley. Simpson is the guy who said Social Security was like a "giant milk cow with 310,000,000 million tits." This Fiscal Commission also partnered with the Peterson Foundation (Pete Peterson is the Social Security hater who has spent billions on fake news services pushing stores that ss is "broke" and "unsustainable.")

Now we are in a position where the Fiscal Commission failed to reach consensus, yet Gibbs and others have said the President will use their recommendations to cut the deficit in his budget and to work with the Republicans. Here is analysis how the Fiscal Commission Bowles Simpson proposal will cut Social Security: http://www.ncpssm.org/news/archive/Analysis_of_Commission_Co_Chairs_Proposal/

As we speak, a group of 20 "bipartisan" Senators are coming up with a reduction plan, which will examine those Social Security proposals. Why is this group flying under the radar with no televised committee hearings? Because they know people will flip a shit. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20026338-503544.html

What is so frightening about all of this, is that they already have some progressive Dems on board i.e. Dick Durbin http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/US-Debt-Panel-Plan-Fails-to-Pass-But-Wins-Bipartisan-Support--111286499.html

Now we have Lindsey Graham and other Republican Senators threatening they will not vote on the debt ceiling increase without cuts to Social Security. Just as an aside this is an asinine threat. A default on our debt would collapse our economy and would be unprecedented. Since the president and other Democratic Senators have signalled a willingness to "reform" Social Security, it is not hard to imagine that this debt ceiling debate will yield some Social Security cuts. Let's not forget, even President Obama voted against a debt ceiling increase when he was a Senator because he wanted a symbolic vote for fiscal responsibility: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/136207-gibbs-defends-obama-2006-vote-against-raising-debt-ceiling

This is probably the most serious threat to Social Security since its inception. With President Bush's privatization scheme, he had a unified Democratic opposition, barely any support in his own party and he went on a whirlwind tour out in the open trying to sell his steaming pile of poo of an idea. Guess what? People hated it. Things are different now. We have Dems, including a president, who are willing to accept these changes and a recession coupled with a high deficit.

Please shout this issue from the rooftops. Call the White House. Write letters to the editor. We cannot allow any major changes or cuts to Social Security to happen behind closed doors.