Dean Baker: It's wrong to assume that Obama is defending Social Security and Medicare programs

[Better Believe It]

A Rambunctious Right Wing, A Silent President, and the Debt Ceiling Deal
by George Zornick
June 1, 2011

This morning, every Republican in the House of Representatives was invited to the White House to talk with the president about raising the federal debt limit, which each one of them opposed in a rancorous vote last night.

Following the White House meeting today, McCarthy suggested to reporters that Obama agreed that spending cuts and “entitlement reform” will be addressed in the debt ceiling deal—something bound to anger the president’s liberal supporters. If true, why is Obama already agreeing to these demands without making any of his own?

Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, has a troubling theory.

"The failure of President Obama to play any role in shaping this debate is so massive that it must be deliberate. After all, his administration is not run by morons. They have all the cards, especially after NY-26, and are playing none of them,” Baker said. “I think it’s wrong to assume that Obama is pushing to defend programs like Social Security and Medicare here. All the evidence points in the other direction.”

Read the full article at:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/161060/rambunctious-right-wing-silent-president-and-debt-ceiling-deal

[joeybee12]

1. Both programs will be cut drastically under the "deal" and then the usual suspects will cry

But it's the best he could get under the circumstances!!!!!

[hifiguy]

15. Ain't that the truth.

Surrender without even putting up a fight or answering the bell. This administration's universal MO.

[Johonny]

19. doubt that

if he cuts those programs he is hosed.

[jaxx]

2. Odd theory, maybe the pubs didn't report it correctly to Baker.

<..> Ryan told Obama how his Medicare plan would work and asked the president not to "demagogue" the issue. His GOP colleagues gave him a standing ovation.

Obama didn't back off his critique of the Ryan plan - that it is a vehicle to shift health-care costs from the government to the elderly.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/123005208.html

[leveymg]

3. I haven't heard Obama say, "These programs will not be cut." That tells me he will

agree to some deal that does just that.

Tell me how I'm wrong. I would love to be wrong on this.

[jaxx]

10. I don't put words in the Presidents mouth....good or bad.

It's like writing his speeches to what I demand he say....good for outrage but nothing else.

Until you hear the words it's nothing but surmising and trying to push the agenda that the President is all wrong. Same ol thing that is done multiple times daily on here.

No sale.

[bvar22]

13. Past IS prologue.

Deja-Vu all over again.

[leveymg]

16. You are probably Obama's most ardent supporter on this board. That is commendable.

Loyalty and patience with those whom we support and vote into office is a good thing. That is true with members of our families and friends, as well. Yet, at some point -- and everyone's is different -- politicians approach and threaten to step over lines beyond which we can no longer support them on certain issues. We owe it to them, as well as to ourselves, to let them know what those lines are. That's particularly important when there seems to be some reason to doubt intentions and actions.

When you hear a lot of outrage here, it is because lines are being crossed, not because of disloyalty or because we want our elected leaders to fail. We are loud and vocal here because for many of us it is our sole or primary source of contact with other Democrats. We hope that our message is being heard, and it is important to the President and the Party that we are heard.

Social Security and Medicare are bedrock issues for many Democrats. That is particularly true among progressives -- and most of us here are progressives, or at least left-of-center. Do not be surprised if you hear rising anger at the mere suggestion by Obama and his aides hold a willingness to compromise with Ryan's demands on those bedrock issues. There is no amount of scratching away at SS/Medicare program benefits that are tolerable, as these programs are literally life or death for many seniors and disabled Americans. Obama should not even suggest that there's any uncertainty or that he's willing to make concessions with the GOP in these programs.

When you hear us shouting about the ways we feel betrayed by this Administration, it's NOT because we are pushing an "agenda that the President is all wrong." Few of us actually feel that Obama's agenda is "all wrong." It is, however, for a substantial portion of us, increasingly at variance with what our expectations were, realistic or not. Few of us realized that the President was willing to trade away Social Security and Medicare in order to balance the budget - if that's Obama's true agenda, it is all wrong. Don't be too surprised that we won't go along with that.

[jtown1123]

24. I want to save this comment. Bravo. Well thought out.

[RandomKoolzip]

38. +1. I wish more of Obama's defenders would understand this instead

of assuming those who critique him are all acting out of bad faith or disingenuousness.

[sendero]

29. Who cares about his WORDS?

His WORDS are always near perfect. It's his actions and lack thereof that is the problem.

[SDuderstadt]

14. I haven't heard you say that...

you won't be driving in next year's Indy 500. That tells me that you will be.

See? I can post illogical things too.

[Solomon]

17. Do people spend all day every day looking for every dreamed up

outrage they can find? Sure seems like it. Must be a tough job, wading through all the bullshit to find some bullshit to post.

[SDuderstadt]

21. "Do people spend all day every day looking for every dreamed up outrage they can find?"

I don't know. Do you?

My irony meter just broke.

[leveymg]

18. Your metaphor in not apt.

As President, Obama is in a position to compromise with the GOP. I am not in any position to drive in next year's Indy 500. Obama's performance, so far, suggests that he is at least as inclined to compromise on major issues as he is to resist Republican demands.

It is therefore most reasonable to expect that he will compromise, unless he says otherwise.

Yes, you do post illogical things.

[SDuderstadt]

22. I was pointing out your...

non sequitur, dude.

[SDuderstadt]

23. Serious question...

Do you know what the word "metaphor" means?

[JoeyT]

26. Yours is considerably more illogical though.

Unless of course leveymg has a history of driving in the Indy 500, in which case the analogy is probably accurate.

[SDuderstadt]

27. Ummm...

I made it absurd on purpose to make a point.

Does Obama have a history of cutting Medicare or Social Security? Hint: no.

[JoeyT]

36. He does have a history of swinging hard right at the first opportunity.

He hasn't done it on everything, but he's done it often. And what the right wants right now is to see some old people suffer so they can give more money to rich people.

Edited to add: There's also a history of a bunch of people yelling about how the president would *never* do this or that and how dare people think he would. Then when he does it they insist it was the right thing to do all along.

I hope I'm wrong, for all our sakes.

[SDuderstadt]

37. So, you don't have any examples of him...

cutting Social Security or Medicare.

[SDuderstadt]

32. Here's to you being wrong...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/democrats-emerge-from-white-house-meeting-determined-not-to-cave-on-medicare-taxes.php

[Safetykitten]

4. Ah, and so it begins.

[JoePhilly]

5. This prediction gets made every 2 months.

State of the Union. Obama's budget. Obama's debt speech.

Each was predicted to be the date on which Obama would announce these cuts. Still hasn't happened.

[Better Believe It]

8. I haven't read any statements made by DU'ers claiming he would "announce cuts" in these programs.

Did you just make that false issue up?

It would be nice if President Obama would clearly say that he is opposed to any cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and won't sign any legislation that includes such cuts.

Instead of that, President Obama has said such cuts "are on the table".

Did you somehow miss that?

[Solomon]

20. Apparently you've been too busy scouring the internet to find

anything from any source that is negative so you can post it here. I've seen tons of threads from DUers claiming that Obama is going to cut social security, medicaid and medicare. Perhaps you've been too busy digging up stuff to notice.

It's quite frequent, this being nothing but the latest edition. Of course by now there may yet be another thread already posted claiming that the Great Alakazan, who knows all things, has eavesdropped on Obama in his sleep, and declares that Obama will cut social security because he talked in his sleep and didn't say that the cuts are off the table.

[JTFrog]

33. ^^ THIS! n/t

[SidDithers]

34. +1...nt

Sid

[kenny blankenship]

6. Believe me, I stoppped assuming anything like that after the health care "reform"

100% cured! When he doesn't speak and lead, it's clear he's inviting a "bipartisan compromise" and a "centrist solution" of the sort that real Democrats have been trying to hold off for 70 years.

[inna]

7. it's a full-blown assault on all kinds of social spending, via a good cop-bad cop routine.

in fact, Obama doesn't even bother with role playing a lot of the times.

[Romulox]

9. Things are being "taken off the table" in backroom deals even as we speak.

Count on it.

[Better Believe It]

11. Nothing like government transparency

[BlueIris]

12. I hate to post it, but I feel this is spot on. nt

[xchrom]

25. Recommend

[JackRiddler]

28. Let's throw Dean Baker under the bus, with the rest of the non-believers.

[kentuck]

30. He doesn't want a second term?

I find that hard to believe.

[blindpig]

35. It is counter-intuitive.

Futile to speculate but this ain't normal.

And what matter? Despite the theatrics the parties converge on the major issues, it's all coming out of the people's hide.

[Raine]

31. Sadly IMO this is EXACTLY on point. nt