Tell Steny Hoyer: Don't sell out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

[eridani]

CRED petition
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/hoyer_nocuts/?r=5537664&id=35909-457718-1qBLkIx

According to recent reports, Rep. Hoyer is "looking to shake legislative politics"1 by forcing a vote on what the Washington Post called "a so-called grand bargain to raise taxes and restrain entitlement spending."

Hoyer declined to provide any specifics to this proposal but he gave his remarks at an event hosted by an organization called Third Way, which is a Washington-based, so-called "moderate" Democratic think tank that shills for corporate interests and has previously advanced debunked arguments promoting cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

Hoyer's move -- which appears to be in coordination with Third Way -- poses a danger to our social safety net. We cannot remain quiet while such a prominent member of Democratic Leadership appears to be working on a proposal which likely includes brutal cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits.

Medicare and Social Security are wildly popular programs, and the clear majority of Americans want to protect these benefits. If we push back hard and make sure that conservative Democrats like Hoyer don't cut a back room deal on benefit cuts with Republicans, we can hold the line and protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

House Democrats will be particularly sensitive to this kind of pressure in an election year -- if we can expose this potential sell out, we can quash the momentum Hoyer and conservative Democrats need to move forward with a "grand bargain" at the expense of benefit programs pivotal to millions of Americans.

Tell Steny Hoyer: Don't sell out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

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[customerserviceguy]

1. I wouldn't worry too much about it this year

This Third Way stuff is just an election year ploy to minimize the damage from Repukes from charging Democratic congresscritters with being too liberal. I cannot imagine any proposal advanced by Hoyer or any of the other minority leadership that would possibly attract enough GOP votes to even have a snowball's chance in hell of passing the House. In any case, it will never get through the Senate as currently constructed.

If you want to worry, worry about what's going to happen next year. We've seen this President go for some pretty bad stuff that the Rethugs manage to get through Congress. I fear we will not have the firewall of the Senate to help us after the next Congress is seated.

[eridani]

2. This year is precisely the time to worry about it

Attacking SocSed and Medicare does NOT play well with any major sector of the electorate. Make it a campaign issue, and the composition of Congress will be much more to our liking.

[customerserviceguy]

3. You have a point

But I don't think the mushy middle (who decides elections) cares too much, or can be made to care, unfortunately.

[eridani]

4. The "mushy middle" got riled up enough about Medicare last year--

--to turn a seat that had been R for decades to D.