NRCC's Walden not making many friends

[ProSense]

NRCC's Walden not making many friends

By Steve Benen

<...>

For his trouble, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee who'll oversee his party's 2014 midterm efforts, accused Obama of waging "a shocking attack on seniors," and "trying to balance this budget on the backs of seniors."

This created some, shall we say, ambiguity. Are Republicans opposed to the Republican idea? Should the White House stop offering Republicans what they say they want? Is this poised to become the latest example of the GOP rejecting their own proposals...It's a tension in need of resolution, and this afternoon, the party took a step in that direction.

House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio, publicly distanced himself on Thursday from another member of his Republican leadership team who criticized a component of President Barack Obama's budget having to do with entitlement reform. <...>

"I've made it clear that I disagree with what Chairman Walden said," Boehner said at his weekly press conference, calling the chained CPI proposal "the least we must do to begin to solve the problem of Social Security."

"I disagree with" isn't exactly an overpowering condemnation, but it at least brings some clarity to the matter. Indeed, I'd argue Boehner really didn't have much of a choice on this -- either the House GOP wants this policy or it doesn't. I don't imagine the Speaker is fond of giving Obama cover, but if he wants to be taken seriously at all, Boehner can't ask for a concession, then allow his party to condemn it when the president says yes...it appears the White House saw Walden's interview yesterday, was eager to go further than Boehner's tepid disagreement...press secretary Jay Carney seemed almost angry about this.

"This is a Republican proposal," Carney said Thursday. "And cynical attempts to make it otherwise by some represent, I think, dissonance within the Republican Party, and we've seen plenty of condemnation from conservatives and Republicans of that sort of flagrantly ridiculous and cynical attempt to disown a proposal that emanated from Republican leaders." [...]

"The inclusion of entitlement reform, specifically chained CPI and means testing of Medicare, comes at the specific behest and request of Republican leaders, as you know," Carney said.

And in a curious twist, the far-right Club for Growth is also angry with Walden, not because he took a cheap shot at the White House, but because his criticism of chained-CPI mirror liberal criticism of the idea.

- more -

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/04/11/17707353-nrccs-walden-not-making-many-friends

House GOP campaign chief doubles down on attack against Obama budget's Social Security cut
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022653873

[MadHound]

1. Walden's only mistake is his timing,

My guess is that once the CCPI is in the bag, signed sealed and delivered, every 'Pug from coast to coast will be pointing out how Obama is attacking seniors.

[babylonsister]

2. Joey Scab really went off on him this a.m....

Joe Scarborough Goes Ballistic At 'Shameless' Republican Criticizing Obama's Social Security Cuts

http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-scarborough-obama-budget-chained-cpi-social-security-cuts-republicans-2013-4

[ProSense]

9. Infighting. n/t

[tularetom]

3. Anybody who thinks they won't hang this around Obama's neck in 2014

Simply hasn't been paying attention for the past 4 years.

[ProSense]

4. Did you

"Anybody who thinks they won't hang this around Obama's neck in 2014"

...pay attention in 2012? Republicans only get away with things when people resign themselves not to call them out.

They tried in 2012, and failed.

[ChangeUp106]

5. Except

Yeah except that was all BS like Obama's a commie or he's "lazy." In this case Obama actually is hurting seniors.

[ProSense]

6. Actually,

"Yeah except that was all BS like Obama's a commie or he's "lazy." In this case Obama actually is hurting seniors."

...no. Mitt tried to use the Republicans' 2010 line that Obama cut Medicare, but truth won out.

In this case, the infighting is going to do damage, and this is a Republican proposal (see Boehner). Also, unless Republican accept the President's proposal, it isn't going to pass.

Republicans are against revenues, but there is another problem: Republicans don't want to be tagged with the vote.

House Democrats are not going to support Social Security cuts, which means that the only way it passes the House is with Republican votes. It has no chance in the Senate.

Chained CPI Protections (Republicans are still going to say no)
http://election.democraticunderground.com/10022650340

[tularetom]

7. What's he gonna say when they claim he wants to cut SS?

You damn right I was paying attention in 2012. They threw a lot of bullshit at him and very little stuck.

What's different now is they wouldn't be throwing bullshit. He does in fact want to cut SS, and he has said so on more than one occasion.

And don't tell me this was just a ruse to get them to reveal their true colors. I don't think anybody is buying that 12 dimensional chess crap anymore. The man has revealed what he truly believes and his party will pay the price for it in the midterms.

[ProSense]

8. He and

"What's he gonna say when they claim he wants to cut SS?"

...every Democrats who knows Republicans are full of shit can call them out as:

Fiscal frauds
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022653831

Do you object?