Obama, Democrats risking political future as the "Social Security Slashers"

[Bluebear]

How much would you lose in benefits if President Obama makes a deal with the Republicans to cut Social Security? The administration isn't denying reports that just such a deal is in the works. As the president prepares to meet with congressional leaders tomorrow, the financial security of millions of Americans may hang in the balance.

According to the polls, so could his political future.

If the President and his party accept a proposed "chained CPI" benefit cut, they -- and not their opponents -- are likely to be painted as "Social Security slashers." (Remember the GOP's Medicare strategy in 2010?) Dealmakers hope to avoid that by hiding the reduction in a lowered cost of living (COLA) adjustment, but it seems wildly optimistic to think a cut of this magnitude can be hidden from the public. It's doubly unfortunate because COLA adjustments should be increased, not reduced...

The average retired woman receives $890 in Social Security benefits, so the "chained CPI" cut would slash her benefits by almost $500 by the time she's 80. Here's how the cuts work out overall: By the age of 75, benefits would be cut by nearly 4 percent. By 85 that figure would be 6.5 percent, and by 95 it would be 9.2 percent. It gets much worse for younger people, because the effect is cumulative.

Why would the president and his team agree to a cut like this? That gets into the realm of speculation. But there's a naive calculus, expressed by Kevin Drum and others, that a deal now would "take Social Security off the table for a long, long time." Is that your impression of how today's Republicans operate? Deals are made to be broken, and if they invent a phony "crisis" over morning coffee it'll be reported as fact by dinnertime. -- RJ Eskow

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/how-much-would-a-white-ho_b_891655.html

[leftstreet]

1. Unless GOPers paint Obama as an SS slasher, it won't matter

But they won't do that.

Good article, but let's face it - both parties have the same goal: fuck over the working class

:-(

[Bluebear]

3. Seniors will remember which President "urged Congress" to cut their benefits.

What a foolish thing to do.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[Eddie Haskell]

31. Obama should step aside for the good of the party.

If he won't, Democrats have no choice. He must go!

[oxymoron]

37. +100000

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. Off the table for a long time? Are you kidding?

The gravestone of SS has been the centerpiece of their dinner table every fucking day for the last 75 years.

[kenny blankenship]

39. And once they get the ball rolling with this debt ceiling maneuver

It will be served for dinner every fucking year, like turkey on Thanksgiving. It will one thing, and then another thing that "must be done to strengthen" Social Security and Medicare. And before long it will be so useless no one will even give a shit if they turn it all into a privatized revenue stream for Wall St. and the Insurance Mafia.

I have to remind people that George W. Bush COULDN'T do this, although he tried. John McCain and Sarah Palin COULDN'T do this.

[Kablooie]

5. That would hand the next election to whatever Republican ran.

Dems are so far ahead but it looks like Obama is determined to slaughter us and give the country back in 2012 lock, stock and SCOTUS to the conservative Republicans so they can tear it to shreds and reinvent America as the new France circa 1789.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted sub-thread

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[mzmolly]

7. "Why would the president and his team agree to a cut like this?"

One can only hope they're playing their own game of chicken by letting this nonsense float? Cut the voters who vote Republican, and decry taxing the wealthy if you want to go after entitlements?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[mzmolly]

9. I'll personally judge his I.Q. on this issue,

when the end result is known.

[Bluebear]

10. Yes, we must wait for the end result.

When it's too late! :scared:

[mzmolly]

12. Nope. Let's find out the facts and strongly advocate for our

position in the mean time. :hi:

[Kablooie]

23. No. He may just be a Republican.

[iwishiwas]

32. His skills at negociating are

are lauded and were during the campaign. I see him as giving away the pony before he gets started.

[Lasher]

11. Because they are Vichy Democrats.

Obama might survive to serve a second term, but this will destroy the Democratic Party. Mark my words.

What a shame. Obama and the Democratic Congressional majority were elected at a time when we desperately needed them to rescue the nation from sinking into this quicksand of fascism. But they are not anything like I hoped they would be. Instead of a lifeline we got an anchor.

[woo me with science]

27. +1

Yes, Vichy Democrats. Also known as faux Democrats.

[demgrrrll]

14. Some of the people on DU are like a bunch of six year olds

playing soccer, the ball goes up and everyone runs to the same place on the field. No one knows what is going to happen yet.

[Ice Number Nine]

16. The Boy who cried "Social Security cuts" will never learn

[Ignis]

19. Yourself excluded, presumably?

It's always those Other People who do those Silly Things.

[demgrrrll]

24. Years ago I was a reactive but not anymore, you just

wanted to step on this comment for some reason so I presume you are satisfied.

[Bluebear]

30. Eskow is "reactive"? Uh, no.

Richard (RJ) Eskow is a former executive with experience in health care, benefits, and risk management, finance, and information technology. Richard worked for AIG and other insurance, risk management, and financial organizations. He was also a public policy and finance/economics consultant, in the US and over 20 countries. Past clients include USAID, the World Bank, the State Department, the Harvard School of International Public Health, the Government of Hungary, as well as corporations and investors. He has experience in financial and numerical analysis (of benefit plans, financial risk, corporate investments), systems design, and management.

Richard has worked on long-range health policy and forecasting. His predictions are included in the recently-released Rough Guide To the Future in it's review of "the hopes, fears, and best prediction of fifty of the world's leading futurologists."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow

[demgrrrll]

34. I don't care. No one knows what the final outcome will be

he is speculating and his pedigree while impressive does not change that fact.

[Ice Number Nine]

15. Oh great. The "Obama is about to cut Social Security" meme rears its ugly head again.

[Change has come]

17. You've been here for a week?

You must be really, really smart!

Please! Tell us what to think. :hi:

[Ice Number Nine]

18. Have you not been in this Country for the past year?

Social Security has been doomed every other week.

But this time it's for certain for certain, right?

[Change has come]

20. You're the expert!

Do tell. I've been waiting to have these confusing matters explained.

Go ahead, show me some detail!

[Ice Number Nine]

22. here's the detail: Obama's not cutting SS

get it?

[EFerrari]

25. Unless you are Obama (or Miss Cleo) you don't know that. n/t

[Ice Number Nine]

26. and yet, somehow I do.

;)

[Bryn]

28. I truly hope so

:)

[Bluebear]

29. Richard Eskow or anonymous newby poster Ice Ice baby as expert?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow

Tough choice.

[Ice Number Nine]

33. Truth or Fiction. The choice isn't that hard.

I can understand why you want to believe the fiction.
But at what cost?

[Bluebear]

35. /ignore for constant insults and propaganda

[QC]

36. You can take Ice off ignore now. Him gone bye-bye. n/t

[Bluebear]

38. thank goodness

[lonestarnot]

21. Nope, don't think it will happen.

And that, of course, is pure speculation.