Obama’s Budget Promises on Bush Tax Cuts, Drug Price Negotiation Ring Hollow
By: Jon Walker
April 14, 2011
In the speech, Obama again promised huge deficit reductions from both letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making over $250,000, and fixing Medicare Part D by allowing Medicare to directly negotiate for lower drug prices. We are supposed to believe he will fight for these despite having laid down on both before.
At no time during the past two years did Obama use his large Democratic majorities in Congress to push through a bill ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Finally, when all the tax cuts were set to expire, instead of holding the line, he claimed he had no other option but to make a deal to extend them all. Obama has made no indications why the next fight about the Bush tax cuts won’t end in an identical broken promise.
Passing direct Medicare drug price negotiation was a huge campaign point for Democrats in 2006 and for Obama in 2008. Yet, during the health care reform fight, which would have been the prefect time to pass it, the provision disappeared.
In fact, Obama made a secret deal with the drug companies in which he promised to actively fight against allowing this core campaign promise from becoming law. The administration’s diligent efforts to kill drug re-importation, another promise broken by the secret deal, shows how open Obama was to violating his campaign promises to keep PhRMA happy.
Read the full article at:
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/04/14/obamas-budget-promises-on-bush-tax-cuts-drug-price-negotiation-ring-hollow/The writer could also have pointed out that the Bush/Obama tax cuts for the rich expire in December 2012, AFTER the presidential election!
So Obama won't need to announce his final non-campaign decision on renewing the tax cuts until after that election! Gosh, I wonder what he'll do? BBI