Democrats stiffen spine against trimming benefits

[ProSense]

Democrats stiffen spine against trimming benefits

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's re-election has stiffened Democrats' spine against cutting popular benefit programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Their new resolve could become as big a hurdle to a deal that would skirt crippling tax increases and spending cuts in January as Republicans' resistance to raising tax rates on the wealthy.

<...>

Now, with new leverage from Obama's big election victory and a playing field for negotiations that is more favorable in other ways, too, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats are taking a harder line.

"I've made it very clear. I've told anyone that will listen, including everyone in the White House, including the president, that I am not going to be part of having Social Security as part of these talks relating to this deficit," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters.

<...>

The new balance of power means that Democrats who once would have acquiesced reluctantly to GOP demands for stiff benefit cuts are now balking at ideas such as chained CPI or an increase in the Medicare retirement age, as well as demanding GOP concessions to higher taxes.

- more -

http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-stiffen-spine-against-trimming-benefits-135744343--finance.html

Obama Pledges To Protect Vulnerable In ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks, Advocates Say
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021834279

Democratic Senator Introduces Bill To Lift Social Security’s Tax Cap, Extend Solvency For Decades
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021834952

[ProSense]

1. Kick for

good outcomes.

[ProSense]

2. Another. n/t

[hrmjustin]

3. rec.

[Scurrilous]

4. Thanks!

K & R

[go west young man]

5. Nice to hear.

Finally our party fighting unified with a hard line against republican BS.

[stupidicus]

6. thanks for validating what many of us had concerns about

"I've made it very clear. I've told anyone that will listen, including everyone in the White House, including the president, that I am not going to be part of having Social Security as part of these talks relating to this deficit," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters. (notice we don't see the same thing for Medicare and Medicaid)

The new balance of power means that Democrats who once would have acquiesced reluctantly to GOP demands for stiff benefit cuts are now balking at ideas such as chained CPI or an increase in the Medicare retirement age, as well as demanding GOP concessions to higher taxes.

that such was a possibility justifying those concerns. That things have changed a bit doesn't alter the fact that BHO's veto pen was the solution all the time, and that his refusal to threaten using it was a major component of what underlied all those concerns.

Perhaps maybe some DUers should write Reid and tell him he was all wet and his concerns were all a part of his imagination as a "concern troll", no, as so many DUers were unjustifiably and erroneously labeled?

Like they knew better than Reid or countless others that shared those legitimate concerns...

[xtraxritical]

10. If Republicans pull their debt ceiling crap again the President should definitely use his 14th

amendment prerogative and issue an executive order. Why don't more people and MSNBC hammer home the point that Social Security is not in anyway part of the national deficit number? Why don't more people and MSNBC hammer home the point that it was a Republican Congress that denied Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. That is why all medications, even over the counter medications, are a complete ripoff in the US. I see aspirin in drug store for over $5.00 for 25 325mg tablets. Dumbed down American's don't know that aspirin is made from the bark of willow trees, costs next to nothing to produce, can only be aspirin no matter what the price. The bottle I buy at the 99cent store is the same as the $5.00 one! This is the way Republicans run the "free market".

[stupidicus]

13. that's a good question

I remember very early in the first BHO admin, some of his best critics were on MSNBC, but you rarely to never hear a discouraging word from them anymore. I use to use it as an example why we weren't "Obamabots" like Faux Views produced for Bush to rightwingers, but the well ran dry.

And I know what you mean. The diff in price between name brands and generics is often quite obscene, and hardly worth the prettier package or whatever diff exists in the quality of the product.

[xtraxritical]

14. Thanks for not dissing my rant!

[Victor_c3]

7. I'm probably evil for saying this, but....

I'd accept small cuts to entitlement programs if it meant that we were going to slash our military expenditures in a huge way.

The military has to get cut. It needs to be big enough to defend us, but any strength beyond that is too much of a lure for republicans to start more wars like Iraq with - and that is something that I'm deftly afraid of.

After the American Revolution, the American military only had a single company of Infantry (or about 150 Soldiers) on active duty when George Washington was president. The rest of our military was made up of reserve and militia components. The military was there in the event of an invasion, but it couldn't be spun up on a whim and sent to fight a large-scale war in some far off country.

I'm not going to kid myself into thinking that we could maintain an effective military that resembled what George Washington had in the 1790s as war and the extensive competencies required of Soldiers required require constant proficiency training. There is a vast capability difference between a reserve unit that trains 2 days a month versus an active duty unit that trains 5 days a week.

We just don't need our excessive military strength! It pains me to think what our country could look like if we spent a fraction of what we spend on the military on things like education, infrastructure, raw science, universal healthcare, etc.

[democrattotheend]

8. I just hope they don't cut other important programs

Everyone has been so worried about Social Security and Medicare that I am afraid the Democrats will draw the line on that but in exchange accept cuts to lots of other programs that don't have lobbies as strong as the AARP supporting them.

[Cha]

9. Just more statements of what I already

believed to be true. Thanks ProSense

[ProSense]

11. It would be great to see a push

to get Begich's bill passed.

[Cha]

12. Yes!