What if President Obama doesn't cut Social Security and Medicaid

[ProSense]

Does that mean he had no intention to do so, and the reports were all wrong?

[Enrique]

1. it might mean that, it might mean something else

it depends on the facts.

[Name removed]

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[Big Blue Marble]

2. No, it means he was stopped

by courageous members of our party that were willing to stand by the values that made this party and this country strong.

[ProSense]

4. So

"No, it means he was stopped by courageous members of our party that were willing to stand by the values that made this party and this country strong."

...if he cuts these programs (say raises the retirement age), will it mean the "courageous members of our party" failed to stand by the values that made this party and this country strong"?

[Big Blue Marble]

9. It means that the Democratic Party is finished.

There were not enough who would stand for the values that defined the party for four generations.
What would the party have left to offer? Democratic Brand: We are not the crazy Republicans. Vote for us.

That is a winning strategy that will care this party forward for the next four generations.:sarcasm:

[Name removed]

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[vaberella]

18. You really believe this?

Because it seemed Pelosi and a good number of Dems were handing support to the gang of six.

[Big Blue Marble]

23. See post #20.

Check that link. It would seem Pelosi is looking for a simpler way out.

[Name removed]

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[dennis4868]

3. NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE FACTS ARE...

not even most dems in congress....that's why we need to STOP THE HYPERSPECULATION until we know what a final deal says....i learned early on with Obama that he is a damn good chess player...he will show you one move but it's meant to have an effect 10 moves down the road...you cannot get all emotional and angry because one move that he makes....

[FLyellowdog]

5. ty.

[Big Blue Marble]

11. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

One person does not get to decide to offer up the most precious aspects of this country in secret "negotiation"
in a democracy without blowback. Get used to it.

[dennis4868]

27. you're right...

it is a problem...the weak dems can't get their act together in congress and dump their problems on Obama...

[bornskeptic]

30. President Obama doesn't have the power to cut anything,

so it's ridiculous to claim he's giving away anything in secret negotiations. All he has the power to agree on is a proposl, which still would have to be passed by Congress, and which would have to be made public before that.

[Big Blue Marble]

33. Actually, that is the way it should work.

That is the way it is suppose to work in a democratic society. At, least sort of.
In the past, when big legislative policy changes were afoot, they were discussed in
congressional hearings and thoroughly and publicly aired. They were not changed in
high-pressure back room secret deals then shoved down Congress's throat at the last minute
with high pressure threats and scare tactics.

But that is how it is done these days. And every time this happens, I assure that you, like the
rest of us, will lose.

[vaberella]

20. That's exactly right. There is way too much mixed information.

One article comes out positive, another negative and people's emotions are see-sawing. But those who hate Obama will jump on it and those who love him become more ambivalent.

[Politicalboi]

25. If we hadn't been screwed about the

Public Option then maybe we would see things different. I don't want to believe Obama is going to cut Medicare, SS or Medicaid, but he just might. This "Shared Sacrifice" is bullshit. The rich should pay more taxes. I'm trying to not get all worked up possibly over nothing, but after the health care mess I worry about it. He gives the Rupukes things they don't even ask for.

[dennis4868]

26. Well who screwed you regarding the public option...

it was DINOs and repubs in congress so back off of Obama on that...put the blame where it belongs!

[JoePhilly]

7. The Outrage Machinie will drop this topic and move on.

[TheWraith]

12. Just like they dropped the last fifty or sixty such. nt

[shellgame26]

43. there you go..

[Jakes Progress]

44. And those of blind faith will ignore this attack from within

and move on to deny other WH outrages.

[TheKentuckian]

51. I won't be dropping this one ever unless I see a fucking Scrooge after the ghosts

Saul on the road to Damascus, fucking night to day change on these programs. He has been promoting right wing nonsense and steadily pushing Republican oriented "change" to these programs hard but keeping short of privatization.

Further, there is no win minus the unimportant portrayal of the President as "the adult in the room" and long obvious and recently bragged about TeaPubliKlan intransigence. These points aren't breaking news.

[Tarheel_Dem]

52. Exactly. I think the president has taken his own advice. He has tuned out...

the "columnists"; the "blogs"; the "activists" the "radio talk show hosts", and for that I say Bravo! :applause:

If the other side doesn't take heed to this wise advice, it'll be to their own peril, and that's as good an outcome as any.

[politicasista]

8. delete

probably no answers in flamefests. :shrug: Peace.

[earthside]

10. No, it doesn't mean that.

All it may mean is that the trial balloons got shot down by regular Americans who want Social Security and Medicare untouched.

It doesn't mean that the reports "were all wrong" ... it means that the Obama White House was at least thinking about those kinds of cuts.

Frankly, if Pres. Obama had just drawn his line in the sand and built a brick wall over that line with a big sign on it that said "Clean Debt Ceiling Bill. Period . ... well, we wouldn't be in this mess.

And it is a mess -- because no one except a small circle of about a hundred insiders has any idea what the hell is going on. I don't like this secretive negotiating as if we, the plain ol' American people, are too stupid to understand what the President and the Speaker and the Senate Leader and their lackies and aids are negotiating about.

Frankly, I'm sick of all this -- I'd like the President to come out and tell us exactly what he wants and what he will accept and that he'll veto anything else. All that we are getting out of this fiasco now is a view of a totally incompetent and dysfunctional federal government.

[mzmolly]

13. It means that DU saved the seniors!

;)

[flamingdem]

14. omg DU rocks! nt

[Jakes Progress]

45. Most of us did our part.

Though some would stay silent until the New Democrat deal was done.

Good on DU.

[mzmolly]

46. I too have signed every petition that has come my way.

Yes, we should to our part.

[slay]

15. What if he was actually a good leader.

can play what if all day.. :eyes:

[ProSense]

16. What

are the chances you'd admit it?

[Jakes Progress]

17. That would be a good thing.

As for your last sentence, you often berate posters for projecting motives and thoughts so you might have to suffer your own snark. How would you know what his intentions are or were?

It's a goose and gander thing.

[Wait Wut]

19. No!

It means he hates DUers and was just trying to stir up trouble!

Or, yeah...it does. Do you think maybe we should wait until we get the facts before reacting? I'd agree, but...damn...some of those pseudo-facts are sooooooooo convincing!!

[JTFrog]

21. The goalposts move again. n/t

[Name removed]

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[n2doc]

22. That would be fine, great

But how does he get 3 trillion dollars in cuts without doing so? I haven't heard of significant (>5%) cuts in the military, nothing in DHS.

[swilton]

54. He could start for openers

by letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire rather than extending them as he did this past year.

He could bring troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and close the imperialist military base presence overseas - do we need more military bases and to protect us from whom?

He could make medical care available for all.

He could end subsidies for the oil and agricultural (big corn) industries

The only people who have this President's ear are his buddies on Wall Street and these are the people to whom he is listening.

[BlueIris]

24. To me, it would mean a colossal failure of leadership, poor communication with the Party,

(and the public) and a man who has lost so much credibility that no one can tell what he wants to do or will do at all anymore.

[golfguru]

28. Different animals...social security is not broke, medicaid will soon be

according to non-partisan government agency reports.

Social security should be fixed by removing the upper limit for FICA tax. That will sustain it for 75 more years.

Don't know much about medicaid since never used it, but I am on medicare and it is already defunct. I can't find a doctor in my town who will accept new medicare patients. Only clinics catering to medicaid patients are accepting new medicare patients. I might as well drop out of the part B.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. If Social Security and Medicaid are not cut...

his re-election chances are much better. As to his initial intentions- impossible to tell. He is, after all, a politician- he might believe they need cut (or not), but can be swayed by public outcry. You never really know what anyone in DC is truly thinking- you can only judge their actions.

[Name removed]

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[Proles]

32. It's hard to really say anymore.

President Obama has proved to be just like any other politician, so it's really hard to know exactly where he stands.

I'd like to believe that deep down, he's truly disgusted at the prospect of cuts to SS, MM, or MC -- but then why not just come out and say that?

But if it turns out that no cuts are made, then I will resume to having a cautious optimism for Obama.

[Dr Fate]

34. Whatever does or does not happen, Obama will have done the right thing.

I know it in my SOUL.

[Jakes Progress]

35. Whew. It looks like Obama won't cut SS. Because the republicans walked out.

Thank goodness for the stupidity of republicans.

[ProSense]

38. "Thank goodness for the stupidity of republicans."

And to think that so many people were hyping their genius!

[Jakes Progress]

39. Who would that be?

[Jakes Progress]

36. Now we know that he intended to cut SS and Medicaid. He just told us so.

So are you okay with that. Would offering up SS be okay with you?

[ProSense]

37. Here is

what he said.

[Jakes Progress]

40. You're right. He did say he would cut SS.

Right there in the link you provided. Of course that is only a partial transcript of the evening. He brought up his offering this to republicans several times.

But your link will do:

"We then offered an additional $650 billion in cuts to entitlement programs -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security."

[Forkboy]

41. I'll be fucking thrilled, and you guys are all invited over for a shindig, my treat.

What will you do if he does cut them?

[ZombieHorde]

42. According to many posts I have read, President Obama has already cut SS and Medicaid.

The last thread I looked says this in the chart...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x719219

[Jakes Progress]

50. Does this mean you are reading the president's mind?

Are you trying to say that what someone does is a good indication of what's in his mind and what his intentions are?

You complain when others do that. But I will just bookmark this so that we can both remember when you thought it was a good way to go.

[WiffenPoof]

53. For Me...

No Democratic President should EVER float such an idea. Just by putting such a notion of cutting entitlements on the table, the President has put into the minds of the American people and body politic that they should at least be "looked at." In the future, such a notion is now to be considered. As far as I'm concerned, the damage has already been done.

-P