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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHouse liberals demand meeting with Obama on Chained CPI
House liberals demand meeting with Obama on Chained CPI
Posted by Greg Sargent on April 24, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Top House progressives are demanding a sit down meeting with President Obama to underscore their opposition to any Social Security benefits cuts as part of a Grand Bargain a sign that the left has no intention of allowing any cuts to go forward without a major fight.
The demand is being made in a letter that is set to be mailed to the President tomorrow, and was sent my way by a source. It is signed by Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva, along with Dem Reps. Jan Schakowsky, John Conyers, and Donna Edwards, and Senator Bernie Sanders. It says:
We appreciate your ongoing efforts to negotiated with Congressional Republicans in a serious, thoughtful manner, despite their unwillingness to consider a balanced approach. We also appreciate the many positive proposals in your budget, including much-needed additional revenue and the call for universal preschool. However, at a time when many Americans are struggling, cutting Social Security benefits would take money directly out of the pockets of American seniors and slow our economic recovery a majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives and many Democratic Senators have expressed their vigorous opposition to cuts to earned benefit programs. [...]
We would be happy to discuss proposals to strengthen Social Security, such as lifting the payroll tax cap to allow wealthy Americans to contribute to Social Security on all of their income like everyone else. We look forward to meeting with you at your earliest convenience.
Over 100 House Dems have already signed a letter opposing Chained CPI, and many of the signatories are likely to be on tomorrows letter. Meanwhile, Senators Sanders and Tom Harkin introduced a resolution today opposing Chained CPI, signaling strong opposition among liberals in both chambers.
All of this comes at an interesting moment. Suddenly, the idea of temporarily turning off the sequester altogether is being seriously talked about by top Democrats. It required the outcry over sequestration-caused flight delays to bring it about, however. With Republicans complaining about the flight delays and attacking Obama as responsible for them, even as Republicans claim the sequester as a victory for themselves Harry Reid is now calling the GOPs bluff by suggesting we simply cancel the sequester temporarily, by counting war savings to reduce the deficit.
more...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/24/house-liberals-demand-meeting-with-obama-on-chained-cpi/
Laelth
(32,017 posts)The Progressive Caucus is a joke. It's a wonder to me that the President is even considering hearing them out on this. I doubt he'll actually agree to meet with them. I hope, of course, that he proves me wrong, but I doubt he will.
I am a staunch liberal, but we are deluding ourselves if we believe for a second that liberal voices inside the beltway are actually heard. They're not. They are ridiculed and ignored. That's about it.
Watch Obama prove me right.
-Laelth
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)If you make bold statements and don't follow them up you lose credibility.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
tokenlib
(4,186 posts)..and they deserve as much support and encouragement as we can give them. Obama's words matter...and he needs to be undercut and the rug pulled out from under him on chained CPI and a "grand betrayal." 2014 actually depends on it..
Otherwise the GOP will run on Obama favoring cutting Social Security benefits and even raising income taxes--and the dems will have to admit..yeah, chained CPI DOES THAT...
Laelth
(32,017 posts)My fear is that nobody will listen to them. I hope to be proven wrong here.
-Laelth
LostOne4Ever
(9,267 posts)They might be ignored but at least they are trying!
Laelth
(32,017 posts)I fear that they will not be heard. I think it's important for those of us on the left to clearly understand what we're up against. Our President is afraid of even appearing to be a lefty, much less actually being one. Liberal thought is thoroughly discredited inside the beltway. That's the political climate in which we find ourselves. As such, we might be better off recognizing that fact and working with it, as opposed to continuing to beat our collective heads against the proverbial brick wall.
-Laelth
kentuck
(110,950 posts)I would think?
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)...I'm glad they're having a meeting with the President but this seems more perfunctory than consultative. They surely have their chance to express concerns and then are told to "get with the team". The problem in the house is the alternative to any of the President's proposals are far worse...so once again we're stuck with the lesser of evils. Until the Progressive Caucus gets some teeth they'll be the last to be consulted and the first to cave in.
reformist2
(9,841 posts)This issue is important enough, I should think, that we might want to start working with (some) people across the aisle.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)He believes in reaching out to the republicans.
The left can go eff themselves.