Boehner rejects Obama cuts-revenue proposal

[cali]

House Speaker John Boehner immediately dismissed President Barack Obama’s package of significant new entitlement cuts tied to new tax revenues, calling them “no way to lead and move the country forward.”

The White House had portrayed the proposal, part of the budget it will release next week, as a compromise with Congressional Republicans that could have put them on track for another run at a grand bargain.

But Boehner said he will not consider new revenues as part of the deal, arguing that “modest” entitlement savings should not “be held hostage for more tax hikes.”

The budget proposal sets Obama up for major fights on his right and left. Republicans will not accept any new tax revenues and liberal Democrats have already signaled they will resist any cuts to Social Security and other entitlement programs that Obama is proposing.

<snip>

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/obama-budget-medicare-social-security-89658.html?hp=t2_3

[riqster]

1. Showing the Reeps, again, as the problem.

Obama can float trial balloons and such. He shows himself to be "willing to take heat from his own party" and such.

All the while he knows he's safe, because the Reeps will refuse to accept his proposals.

If we can avoid eating our own for a change, we can pick up seats in 2014.

[n2doc]

15. Or allowing the repubs to be "the party that saved Social Security"

Just like they did in 2010 with Medicare. Did we already forget the lessons of 2010? Don't give your opposition cover. Don't demoralize your base. Obama just gave them a lot of cover AND made every Democrat's job running in 2014 a little more difficult. Now they have to denounce their president's plans while also attacking their opponent.

What's the upside, again? Maybe some good op-eds in the Washington Post? Tom Friedman giving a thumbs up?

[Liberalynn]

44. Well said

[Fearless]

49. +1

[AnotherMcIntosh]

61. Every Democratic incumbent who does not speak up now in opposition to this should be primaried.

[TomCADem]

70. How? "Boehner: Obama holding entitlement reform 'hostage' for tax hikes"

How exactly do Republicans get credit for saving Social Security when they are insisting on such cuts without corresponding tax increases, which helps ensure that the deficit will continue to grow, thus justifying future Republican attacks on Social Security?

This is what I mean about how the media has conditioned even liberals to give Republicans a free pass.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/05/17616402-boehner-obama-holding-entitlement-reform-hostage-for-tax-hikes?lite

Boehner's full statement follows:

"The president and I were not able to reach an agreement late last year because his offers never lived up to his rhetoric. Despite talk about so-called balance, the president's last offer was significantly skewed in favor of higher taxes and included only modest entitlement savings. He said he could go no further toward the middle, and that's why his last offer was rejected. In the end, the president got his tax hikes on the wealthy with no corresponding spending cuts. At some point we need to solve our spending problem, and what the president has offered would leave us with a budget that never balances. In reality, he's moved in the wrong direction, routinely taking off the table entitlement reforms he's previously told me he could support.

"When the president visited the Capitol last month, House Republicans stated a desire to find common ground and urged him not to make savings we agree upon conditional on another round of tax increases. If reports are accurate, the president has not heeded that call. If the president believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to help shore up these programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes. That's no way to lead and move the country forward."

[Proud Liberal Dem]

71. And most members of the Republican-controlled House voted for the Ryan Budget

and most of them support MUCH more DRACONIAN cuts to SS. They want to raise the freakin' retirement age! I'm not entirely convinced that the Medicare "cuts" that were in Obamacare were what most people were upset about (more people seemed to be more upset about Obamacare in general) in 2010 but at any rate, we've had two successive Republican-controlled House sessions approve of the Ryan Budget (which, ironically, contained the SAME "cuts" to Medicare) with its REAL cuts to Medicare in the form of "vouchers" and they were repudiated in last year's election. Plus, all their talk about "creating jobs" has turned out to be a real farce as well. People should hopefully remember that when they go to the polls in 2014. All the Democrat in the race has to say if attacked on this is to ask the Republican what THEIR plan is and see how well they handle it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

36. Yep ...

Why do Democrats doubt that the gop is gonna do what the gop is gonna do?

[PinkFloyd]

50. I can't believe Boehner isn't jumping with joy!

Given that he literally could frame Obama and any Dem who stood with him as "throwing seniors to the wolves", for sacrificing his base's sacred cow, demoralizing his base almost completely, all for what seems like such a modest price on Boehner's end. Boehner would get everything his party has wanted for generations and the chance to blame it all on the Democrats and make his party look like the party that cares about seniors...even if that is a huge load of horse crap. And as an extra bonus, a sting like this could last long enough to keep his base demoralized long enough to pick up the senate in 2014.

So given that....I can't for the life of me understand why Boehner isn't jumping for joy to accept this. If they did, any Dem who stood with Obama could be in for some hurt come midterm.

[RyanThomas]

54. Republicans and Taxes..

Hard to really find much logic with them concerning anything involving taxes. Since this involves raising taxes a smidgen it therefor must be resisted by them as part of their Brave Conservative Heroes Who Defend Against the Evil Liberals Who Want to Destroy American Society (BCHWDAELWWDASs - Alternates every week, depending on the issue, always involves them defending against something positive or fighting imaginary enemies, but anyway, I digress) theme, which rejects any possible gain and instead puts them into fanatical resistance mode. We saw it last election when their candidates rejected 10 to 1 spending cuts vs. tax increases.

Odd folks, but then we've known they're more than slightly addled for bout a decade at least by now.

[Skittles]

64. BCHWDAELWWDASs

welcome to DY, RyanThomas

[1StrongBlackMan]

57. Two thoughts ...

First,

Given that he literally could frame Obama and any Dem who stood with him as "throwing seniors to the wolves"

The gop can and, no doubt will, attempt that framing ... and they are gonna get/getting a lot of help from the Left; but that narrative is a fail because Democrats can and will counter with the record ... that seniors are protected under every rumored CCPI plan. Go check the record with respect to every discussion/mention of the CCPI and you will find that President Obama (or his aides) have said any plan will exempt the poor, the elderly, the disabled and veterans.

secondly,

So given that....I can't for the life of me understand why Boehner isn't jumping for joy to accept this.

Could that be because he (unlike any/everyone opining on this "betrayal&quot his seen the specifics of the deal ... and I would guess it includes more than enhanced revenue and CCPI; but also, could include things like enhanced protection of the poor, the elderly, the disabled and veterans to include higher incomed people and/or removing the payroll cap.

Think about the strategy:

The American people are upset with the uncompromising in Congress and the Whitehouse (We know it is really only one half of Congress, but that is the electorate's peerspective) ... resident Obama's resonse is, and has been, to offer up (in very sketchy terms) the CCPI; something that has his base freaking out (even though no one knows what this will look like other than a "reduction of the increase in COLA" for some, but not the elderly, the poor, the disabled or veterans), in exchange for the gop adding revenue.

The electorate sees President Obama's willingness to compromise and the gop is not.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

62. Maybe he's waiting for Obama to sweeten the pot even more.

[Volaris]

69. 2 possibilities here

1) John isn't half that smart at long-term "strategery"

2) That "...modest price on Boehner's end."? To the base over there, anything that even LOOKS like Obama's shadow came out with a little more sunshine on it is called conspiring with The Enemy. Even if I'm wrong about 1) and John is twice as smart as he seems, his BASE isn't, not by a damn sight.

What aggravates me to NO END is the following question: When will Obama just say to him "FINE THEN and Fuck you, I'm DONE. If compromise isn't what you can agree to, then I will propose that Dems start listening to the LIBERALS after the Midterms, and we will have a debate about what matters TO THEM, and I really don't give a shit anymore if the Idiot Brigade in the House and Senate can keep up, and let it be YOUR legacy that the Republican Party in America was destroyed by the weight of it's own Stupid."

[Number23]

78. If DU is any indication, that will NEVER be allowed to happen

If we can avoid eating our own for a change, we can pick up seats in 2014.

So we can either hope that DU is not representative of large numbers of voting Americans or... something.

[Summer Hathaway]

80. If I thought DU was any indication of anything

remotely resembling reality, I would have slit my wrists by now.

Thankfully, it's not.

[JaneyVee]

2. Yup, like I said, sequester is here to stay.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022618585

[enlightenment]

3. I just wish that the President would stop playing

Russian Roulette with these folks.

Yeah, he dodged the bullet this time, but the bigger issue here is that by continually positioning SS and Medicare as "problems" that have to be "solved" he is slowly but surely convincing a larger and larger percentage of the population that they are problems that need solutions.

So when the "solution" finally comes around (and why wouldn't it? Why continue to talk about something if you don't intend to do something about it?), the sheep will allow themselves to be docilely herded into a smaller pasture with more rocks than grass for forage.

[bluestate10]

6. The President is playing russian roulette, but the gun barrel is pointed at the republicans

heads. Republicans won't accept any deal but 100% of what they demand and the President knows that. So President Obama will continue to throw out carefully crafted deals which republicans will reject in a knee jerk fashion. The ultimate goal seems to be to get republicans deep into 2014 with them rejecting everything. Voters in New Hampshire (massively big turnover), Maine (Dems retook legislative control) and Florida (democrats gained seats in the House and Senate after years of decline) made republicans pay for being reactionary. If President Obama sets republicans up right and the democratic House and Senate campaign committees do their jobs right, 2014 can be a big, big year for democrats and usher in some new democratic faces during the process.

[Zoeisright]

8. I think you're right on.

Boner is going to reject anything and everything, so next year Democrats can prove to the American public that repukes are completely unrealistic and don't want to do anything for this country. At all.

[enlightenment]

22. Hope you're right -

If President Obama sets republicans up right and the democratic House and Senate campaign committees do their jobs right, 2014 can be a big, big year for democrats and usher in some new democratic faces during the process.

"If", however, is a very big word.

[1StrongBlackMan]

37. President Obama has been spot on to this point ...

and I think his team has the House and Senate campaign committee's telephone number.

Now ... if Democrats can/will get pi$$ed and get out the vote, rather than get pi$$ed and stay at home whining about betrayal ...

There goes that "if" word again ... My bad?

[enlightenment]

48. Your "bad"? If you insist.

It's a word. A pretty loaded word, and fraught with possibilities. Your choice to use it.

[lark]

31. Wishful thinking

Repugs can run huge campaigns, "Democrats are in favor of cutting social security and Medicare and hurting your mom and dad - don't vote for these awful people" and many of our people will be depressed and stay home. This is not a winning strategy for the party or the country, but a move to help Wall St. and burnish his credentials. He is a corporatist and only reason he's president is because Mittens is WAY worse.

[1StrongBlackMan]

38. Campaign be darned ...

there is too much video of ryan and too many ryan supporting vote tallies.

[PinkFloyd]

51. The only problem with that is...

That it also attaches "chain-CPI", which is about as popular with seniors and progressives as Fred Phelps at a gay pride parade, to Obama and ultimately the Democratic brand. Whether it is or not, it could become thought of as a "Democratic" idea. That would be a Republican dream come true.

[sulphurdunn]

59. 2008

was big, big year for Democrats too. How'd that work for us?

[KoKo]

18. +1

[UnrepentantLiberal]

4. Just do what Clinton did and let them bring the government to a stand still.

They'll get the blame and Social Security and Medicare will be saved.

[bluestate10]

7. I think the President is playing a game of chicken with republicans. A game, that in the

end, republicans will end up literally battered and in hot grease.

[meow2u3]

23. It's a game of chicken with republicans that's scaring seniors and disabled people nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

39. It's scaring seniors and people with disabilities ...

because everyone is telling them to be afraid.

[meow2u3]

41. I'm one of the disabled persons being scared by the chained CPI

This time, it's personal.

[1StrongBlackMan]

46. Why? ...

Every utterance of a CCPI, from Day One, has included a exemption/protection for the poor, veterans and the DISABLED.

[1StrongBlackMan]

56. Upon reflection ...

I am brought back to the conclusion that I came to before on this topic ... this "concern" for the poor and elderly and disabled and veterans is a cannard, because those that will be affected WILL NOT be the elderly or the poor or veterans or the disabled; but folks like me ... those with (or planning on) some form of retirement income that is less than what we would like to have to live on.

But I understand the reason for the cannard ... it plays a lot better than "I want my SS with as much in COLAs as their willing to offer because I paid into it ... it's mine."

[Hekate]

75. They're not listening to heartless plutocrats like me and you

Oops, I mean vicious heartless plutocrats like you and me.

>sigh<

[Skittles]

85. those folk are NOT STUPID

[wordpix]

60. and grown children helping elderly parents through their last years

[JEB]

5. POTUS

making the Boehner look good. Thank Gawd for obstruction. Multi-dimensional cluster fuck.

[Cha]

25. No, JEB.. Pres Obama isn't making boner look good except to

greedy Plutocrats.

[1StrongBlackMan]

40. And a whole lot of ...

"Democrats", if DU is to be taken as evidence.

[Cha]

43. Yeah, there's that.

The "true dems".

[Comrade_McKenzie]

9. Exactly as planned. I just wish the low-information armchair activists...

Would stop putting their cart before the horse.

[cali]

10. Sorry, but by proposing cuts, he's legitimizing that approach

[Little Star]

16. +10000000000000000000000000000

[Brickbat]

12. Yes, pretending to drive the car off a cliff to get the people in the car to behave is so effective.

[YoungDemCA]

13. +1

This is not a game.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

30. your right, its politics, and politics is very seldom straightforward

[deutsey]

17. LOL

President Toonces

[bobduca]

26. "We only HOPED he could drive...."

[L0oniX]

73. Yea ...those "armchair activists" are really pissing off the worshippers. n/t

[Number23]

79. + a million.

[YoungDemCA]

11. Social Security is being threatened by this tiresome political "game"...

Except this isn't a game, people.

[noiretextatique]

14. predictable

[timdog44]

19. This is not a game and I,

for one, am glad we have BHO playing it.

[olegramps]

20. I say give the president a chance. I still back President Obama.

I will wait to see how this actually pans out before throwing the President Obama under the bus like the damn Republicans do when any of their ranks reaches out to attempt a compromise. It appears to me that it is the Republicans that will suffer if they continue to obstruct as they have on every gun proposal including making a so-called "straw purchase" a felony.

[Skittles]

66. we all back Obama

what we don't back is him using SS and Medicare as political footballs - it is CRUEL AND UNNECESSARY

[Bertha Venation]

21. Boehner can kiss my sweet ass.

What a prick.

[lark]

32. Actually

Thank Boner for being so stupid not to take the gift Obama was trying to give him. We'd be utterly fucked if the Repugs had a brain, but luckily they don't. Obama is a terrible disappointment.

[santamargarita]

24. There is something I can finally agree with this...

orange asshole on.

[Blue Owl]

27. Orange Julius will show us how to lead -- right after a smoke break and 18 holes

n/t

[MADem]

28. Obama could offer Bonehead a personal body part on a silver platter and the soul of his first born,

and it wouldn't be enough.

Obama, I suspect, knows this.

Now the fight is between the lions and tigers of the Hill. They'll either scratch out a deal, or they'll piss off the American people so much that they vote many of them off the island.

[1StrongBlackMan]

42. And sadly ...

the predictable reaction of progressives and a portion of democrats, I suspect, is a big part of the calculus, as well.

[AndyA]

29. No way to lead and move the country forward

This is the first time I can recall agreeing with John Boehner.

Abusing America's senior citizens is not the way to pay down the deficit. Let the people who are responsible for the deficit--the same ones who profited from it--sacrifice for a change.

[hay rick]

33. It's finally come to this.

We have to rely on the greed and stupidity of Republicans to avoid betrayal by our own leadership.

[Cha]

45. boner doesn't give a shit about what the President is proposing.. he

only cares about NO TAX CUTS for the Plutocrats. And, you agree with that.

[AndyA]

81. I love it when people come to their own conclusions on things

and make statements that aren't true. Speak for yourself, but not for me.

[Skittles]

68. Boner doesn't give a damn about senior citizens

he's miffed by any tax increase

[Proud Liberal Dem]

72. Yeah

He's only upset because he feels like President Obama is "taking hostages" with tax increases being the ransom money. No mention of concern for seniors in there. Of course, what he and the rest of his party support (i.e. privatization, means-testing, raising retirement age- again) are atrocities compared to what this CCPI might potentially do.

[Skittles]

74. CORRECT

[spanone]

34. there ya go...they hate this President more than they embrace their ideology

[DallasNE]

35. Obama Misplayed His Hand With The Bush Tax Cuts

He should have known that Boehner would respond with a "one and done" message, meaning Obama needed to get everything when he had leverage. As Boehner shows here Obama's quiver is empty. All he can do is kick the can down the road and wait for a couple of bad months data on the economy and then he can at least say "I told you so". Not very satisfying, for sure. Coming in May is a new debt ceiling showdown. Does he have the guts to shut down the government with North Korea rattling the cage? Again, the quiver is empty. Obviously, elections no longer matter -- thanks Citizens United.

[madville]

47. The President knows SS cuts wouldn't get through the Senate

It's a trap for the House Republicans, they didn't bite though.

[Skittles]

67. fuck that

it is CRUEL AND UNNECESSARY to use SS and Medicare as political footballs - it COMPLETELY SUCKS

[DonCoquixote]

52. I do not care

This was still a stupid move, and it lets the GOP dictate the tune...he needs to attack , and attack hard...say outright "hey, I tried to help you, now I will listen to krugman and sanders!" The escuses to do that is the one and only silver lining, so he should USE it.

[PinkFloyd]

53. Exactly!

If there's one lesson he should have learned by now and only one, you'd think it'd be this. Better yet, you'd think from HCR he would have learned you never start any negotiations from the center, center/right or else you'll lose your shirt.

[valerief]

55. The plan between the two parties is to KEEP the sequester in place. Period. nt

[EC]

58. I wish Dems would counter the "they got their tax revenues" line

with "no we didn't" all we got was what was scheduled to go back to the normal tax rate before they received a cut in taxes. It was already set, Obama got no revenue as yet.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

63. Wow. SS is going to be saved by Boehner?

What else does Obama have to do to get Boehner to go along?

[treestar]

65. Can we blame Boner now?

And the Republicans?

[Lil Missy]

76. I'm shocked, .. shocked I tell you!

[Number23]

77. Ha. And yet this thread will be buried under the 296 identical "Obama WANTS to cut SS!one!1" threads

even though this is pretty much EXACTLY what every moderately informed person in the whole damn country said would happen.

[B Calm]

82. So Boner comes across as SS saviour. .

Great move Obama!

[LiberalLovinLug]

83. One just wonders what he'll give up next....

[Larrylarry]

84. The speaker rejects the CPI cuts

If the president put CPI on the table and then The speaker took it off the table
can someone explain to me how it's still on the table ?

Paul Ryan suggested that we repeal Obamacare is the repeal of Obamacare on the table ? .... Of course not ,it has zero chance of passing, the same exact chance that the president's budget has.

Of course the Ryan budget wasn't written by a Democrat but nevertheless using this logic, the repeal of Obamacare is on the same exact table that chain CPI is on