Kerry and Murray signed a letter calling for "ENTITLEMENT CHANGES" Based on Bowles-Simpson...

[in_cog_ni_to]

Kerry and Murray signed a letter earlier this year essentially calling for a grand bargain based on the Bowles-Simpson recommendations. Kerry was on Meet the Press this week saying this:

Senator Kerry also endorsed that goal. The United States must show the markets that it is “deadly serious about dealing with its long-term structural debt,” he said, and the way to do that is by “putting a plan on the table, $4 trillion plus, if necessary.”

None of the three are up for re-election in 2012, perhaps the most important characteristic qualifying them for the position.<snip>

Here's that letter and everyone who signed it:


60 Senators sent this letter to President Obama today:

Dear President Obama:

As the Administration continues to work with Congressional leadership regarding our current budget situation, we write to inform you that we believe comprehensive deficit reduction measures are imperative and to ask you to support a broad approach to solving the problem.

As you know, a bipartisan group of Senators has been working to craft a comprehensive deficit reduction package based upon the recommendations of the Fiscal Commission. While we may not agree with every aspect of the Commission’s recommendations, we believe that its work represents an important foundation to achieve meaningful progress on our debt. The Commission’s work also underscored the scope and breadth of our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.

Beyond FY2011 funding decisions, we urge you to engage in a broader discussion about a comprehensive deficit reduction package. Specifically, we hope that the discussion will include discretionary spending cuts, entitlement changes and tax reform.

By approaching these negotiations comprehensively, with a strong signal of support from you, we believe that we can achieve consensus on these important fiscal issues. This would send a powerful message to Americans that Washington can work together to tackle this critical issue.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

In addition to Johanns and Bennet, the letter was signed by the following Senators:
Republicans:

Lamar Alexander (R–TN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Roy Blunt (MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Scott Brown (R- MA), Richard Burr (R -NC), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) John Hoeven (R-ND), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH),? James Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Richard Shelby (R-AL), John Thune (R-SD) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

Democrats:
John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mark Begich (D-AK), Thomas Carper (D-DE), Mark Udall (D- CO), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Al Franken (D-MN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) , Kent Conrad (D-ND) , Mark Warner (D-VA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/gearing-up-for-grand-bargain.html

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/08/09/meet-your-catfood-commission-senate-dem-edition-murray-kerry-baucus/

[QC]

1. The fix is in. n/t

[joshcryer]

5. I heard that one before.

*yawn*

[ProSense]

2. Franken and Harkin signed it too, and

Harkin voted against the debt deal.

The letter is simply showing support for addressing the deficit and reform.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. Yes, that's right. And I'm actually agreeing with the recommendation from

Simpson-Bowles. Why? Because corporations and the wealthy get away with paying much lower taxes due to the loopholes. If we can roll back those loopholes, there would be no need to raise the marginal rate. Of course, I would prefer BOTH an increase in the marginal rate back to Clinton-era levels, ALONG with doing away with the most egregious abuses in the taxcode. However, let's see how much the Teabaggers in the House go along with that. They never will. Not even on their deathbed. They pledged allegiance to Grover Norquist, not to the flag and certainly not to the Constitution or the American people.

[Bozita]

3. I'm 98% certain that things ain't gonna work out well for the little guys

[Liberalynn]

4. I notice my NY Dems are missing from the list

of signatures.

[ProSense]

7. Kerry: “Under no circumstances should benefits be cut to try to balance the budget"

Senator Kerry Talks Medicare, Social Security

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. "It could be reformed." I'd like to know his definition of "reform." n/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. Make note of which RETHUGS signed that letter! Mark Kirk! Saxby Chambliss! Pat Roberts! Richard

Shelby! John Thune! Tom Coburn! Roy Blunt! John Cornyn! G-d. The list goes on and on and on and on of Rethugs who are NEVER to be trusted!

[Hydra]

18. I always trust Modern Republicans...

...to do the wrong thing for the little guy.

[bklyncowgirl]

10. There's a couple of what we'd normally consider good people on that list.

Aside from Kerry I see Al Franken, Tom Harkin and Sherrod Brown in there. Not all are sellouts. Entitlement changes could, for example, include raising the cap on Social Security or changing the way Medicare makes payments.

[Mojorabbit]

11. I just sent an email to Nelson in fl

saying he can get back to me on that after he has addressed corporate loopholes, big farming subsidies, military spending, and taxing the wealthy. I'll be ready to talk once that is done.

[mmonk]

12. I'm already finishing my eat shit letter to Kay Hagan.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. To paraphrase Gomer Pyle...

"Surprise, Surprise, surprise....NOT". Damnit all to hell, raise taxes, raise the level of SS contribution, bump up the contribution levels like we did in the 80's. Oh- and eliminate Senators lifelong pension and medical plans. All those bastards are rich already, and get plenty of money from their bosses.

[jtown1123]

14. I was trying to find this, thanks.

[indepat]

15. Anyone agreeing with an iota of the Cat-food Commission's recommendations with respect to

entitlements is POS in my opinion: to wit, the animus of those picked for this commission to render such blatant garbage reeked like a POS as were those, for the most part, who served to perform this hatchet-job. :patriot:

[gratuitous]

16. What recommendations?

I know I'm just a beady-eyed nit-picker, but the Catfood Commission didn't meet its deadline and didn't issue any recommendations that received the required support from 14 of its 19 members. They never even issued a final report. To base anything on the "recommendations of the Fiscal Commission" is to say that you're going to make decisions based on a reading of smoke patterns from a campfire.

But then, to point this out immediately brands me as someone who is Not Serious About the Deficit, so I can be ignored in the ongoing discussion about the decisions based on the recommendations of the Fiscal Commission. Which is what I predicted would happen 10 months ago.

*SPOILER ALERT* The next items up for discussion will be reduced benefits for future retirees (even the Republicans aren't stupid enough to cut current Social Security and Medicare benefits), a boost in the retirement age, and probably an increase in payroll withholdings.

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Well, at least Max Baucas didn't sign it