Per Obama’s request, Dems on deficit committee now want MORE than $1.5t in cuts

[Bluebear]

There is an emerging consensus amongst the Democrats who will serve on the deficit commission (aka Catfood Commission 2, Electric Class Warfare) that the mandate of $1.5 trillion in deficit cuts is insufficient.

Democrats on the new joint deficit Super Committee will seek more than the $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction they’ve been tasked with finding, in order to help offset some of those costs.

“All of us would like to set as a target for ourselves even more than $1.5 trillion,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who’s also the top House Democrat on the Budget Committee, told reporters at a Tuesday Capitol press conference.

For those not paying attention, President Obama (after Warren Buffett said it in his much-linked NYT op-ed) called for the deficit commission to go beyond $1.5 trillion in cuts. The Democrats on the commission, including liberals like Xavier Becerra, have moved to be where the President has been saying the commission should go. When Obama gives a speech tomorrow night (and a subsequent one in following days, more specifically about deficit cuts), it will direct Congress as to where he thinks these cuts beyond $1.5 trillion should come from. Sadly, the answer seems to be Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

David Dayen points out that this is a pretty clear rebuttal to the notion that the President is not capable of shaping the course of legislative and policy debates, especially with regard to Congress as a coequal branch of government....

http://www.americablog.com/2011/09/per-obamas-request-dems-on-deficit.html

[yourout]

1. Ok.....end the wars, cut the military in half, and you can probably do it.

[BeFree]

6. Could be

Could be that Obama has backed the pukes into a corner where all they dare cut is the war budget.

[Bluebear]

8. You really think that could be the case??

[BeFree]

10. Yes

In tonight's debate:

6:32 PM PT: Bachmann slams the debt deal super Congress that John Boehner created because it might cut military spending.

[Lunabelle]

2. Who's got the big money in Democratic politics and donations to Obamas reelection.

Follow the money

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. You're equating deficit reduction with cuts

The article doesn't say cuts. It says more than 1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. Deficit reduction can be achieved through cuts or revenues.

The difference between the quoted portion and the non-quoted portion is that the quoted portion discusses deficit reduction, while the non-quoted portion immediately transforms that into cuts.

[Bluebear]

5. Feel free to correct the article at the link!

[TheWraith]

7. Inaccuracy in a blog?! From a blog which has featured near constant Obama-bashing...

...and is selling "Proud Firebagger" tee-shirts? Gee, I'm shocked. :eyes:

[madfloridian]

9. Excuse me....the blog is quoting TPM's Beutler.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/super-committee-democrats-want-more-deficit-reduction.php

Obama told them to try to get more cuts, and it looks like they will obey him.

We have an effing circus going on in DC right now.

[begin_within]

11. Cut the defense contractor spending, not SS, Medicare and Medicaid.

[Bluebear]

13. One would think

[Karmadillo]

12. Being the good cop these days sure doesn't require much good.

nt

[Brickbat]

14. Oh, just wait until they actually set targets and actually come up with a consensus and actually

make a decision and actually set forth a mandate. Because seriously, talking about directions a committee is going in and what it would like to do just fuels more speculation and rumors and falsehoods. Just...you know...chill the fuck out.