There is a reason Repubs are attacking Medicare and Social Security..

[kentuck]

They sense weakness.

They do not believe there is anyone willing to fight for those programs. They attack and nobody does anything, nobody says anything. What are they supposed to think with such a non-response? It is that weakness that is threatening these long-time programs for the people. If you are going to speak softly and carry a big stick, every once in a while you have to show that stick. Otherwise, you will be tread upon like a tractor tire.

Furthermore, if you do not show sincerity and intent to defend these programs, it does nothing to generate trust or suppport with your followers or your Party. If the excuse is that we don't want to scare the markets, that dog will not hunt.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. You have NAILED it, my dear kentuck.

Well said.

How do we change this?


Recommended.

[Harmony Blue]

2. Punch the bullies in the mouth

That is the only way they will learn.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. That might work on the street.

How do you do it politically?

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Harmony Blue]

8. Educate people on what social security is

Most Americans don't know what social security is, and how it has been so successful for so long. A lot of elderly Americans do not need to be educated about Medicare that they use. But for those that do not use Medicare, or Social Security an education about it will cause the tidal wave of political change necessary for politicians to stand up to protect both. Public pressure is the key, but it starts with the huge investment cost with education.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. I agree with your good thoughts...nt

[RagAss]

30. Let me get this straight...

We need to educate people on why $$ has been taken out of their paychecks since they were 15 years old?
If so...Is this country cabable of being saved at this point?

[Lasher]

17. We must find a way to punish Democratic candidates who betray our New Deal principles.

Otherwise, Democratic politicians will continue to ignore us, the base, while pandering to others. That's how you do it politically. I think the Democratic primaries are the best way to bring that about but I don't see it happening and I don't know what to do about it.

[liberal N proud]

4. They have been sounding this attack for a long time

And the see this as the right time to put the death nail into the middle class.

[kentuck]

9. Even the Republican Governors see it...

Walker, Scott, Kasich, Christie...

They are making their move. No one is watching the store. Rob 'em quick and get out of town. Who cares if they lose the next election if their robbery is successful?

[customerserviceguy]

5. I have a question

When you say 'defend' these programs, does that mean shoring up their tax bases? Does it mean cutting payments to recipients, including doctors and hospitals that accept Medicare patients?

I hope it doesn't mean pretending that nothing is wrong with these programs, and they can merrily go on their way, unchanged, forever. Because they're going broke.

[librechik]

13. Repeal the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich and assign the money to Medicare

end of Problem. Lift cap on SS to $250,000 instead of $109,000. SS fixed. It's not as hard as they are fooling you into thinking. it's just hard to get that money away from the rich, apparently.

[customerserviceguy]

31. Repeal is not going to happen

Not with a Rethug House, but when it comes time for their renewal in 2013, then perhaps we can have a government in place that will make that impossible.

[kentuck]

14. Why do you think these programs were in much better shape 10 years ago?

And there was no talk of debt and deficits, except the predictions that the debt would be gone in 2011 and Social Security and Medicare were targeted to be strong for several decades. So where is the problem? What do you think happened in the last 10 years to threaten these programs? Shouldn't that be where you should look?

[customerserviceguy]

29. Very simply, the baby boom was not on the doorstep of these programs

Boomers were in their highest earning years, contributing the most taxes they ever did in their lives towards programs that very few of them were using due to disability. They also had good paying jobs, that the Great Recession has wiped out. Housing prices were still on the rise, and using your home as an ATM to finance a prolifigate lifestyle was still possible, boosting the economy even further.

Now, the oldest baby boomers turn 65 this year, and there will be a continued wave following them that peaks with eligibility for full SS benefits for those born in 1957. The end of the baby boom is not going to happen until the folks born in 1964 come to the window to look for their benefits, and most of everybody before them will still be on the rolls.

I can't think of anything that will stop this from happening. All we can do is try to boost the amount of tax money flowing to these programs, and that's inevitably going to come predominantly from current workers, including those who have very little belief that the Social Security/Medicare system is going to be available for them when it's their turn.

[JoePhilly]

6. They've been attacking these programs since they were started.

I'd suggest that the GOP is attacking EVERY social program in the same way that Saddam Hussein attacked the Iraq and Kuwait oil fields at the end of Gulf War #1.

The GOP is dying. And as they go out ... they maintain a scorned earth approach.

[Wednesdays]

11. What exactly is "wrong" with these programs?

:shrug:

[RKP5637]

12. Yep, I think they want to take the country down with them. They are out

to destroy the majority of the citizens in this country IMO.

[RKP5637]

7. I wish Obama would say F you once in awhile to the pukes. n/t

[onethatcares]

15. instead of that, I wish President Obama would say

"Look, these programs are and have been lifelines for millions of American citizens and I am not going to let them die"

He could then outline a plan and actually use graphs, powerpoints, and all that other snazzy stuff available to him to

show the repukes as lying. Hell, he could even use the phrase, "These programs will stay solvent forever if the people on

the other side of the aisle would admit they have been taking the money these funds generate in order to pay for their

corporate tax cuts".

Yeah, I'd like to hear that on national tv or even local radio, fm or am any day.

[msongs]

18. "There will be no cuts to social security and medicare while I am president" - uh oh comittment to

something, musnt have that lol

[RKP5637]

28. Very very true! I would like to hear the same! I would also like to hear

him say I've got millions of people with me on this rather than I've got millions from my mega donors for their interests first.

[southernyankeebelle]

16. Well why doesn't some group get out there in front of congress and support

these issues. If they got lots of people and scream and yell like the teabaggers maybe they would get covered.

[socialist_n_TN]

21. Yep. We need a MASS occupation of DC when these

talks are going on. Loud and rowdy. They need to SEE that people are NOT going to stand for cutting these popular programs.

[jberryhill]

19. I strongly disagree

"They attack and nobody does anything"

I think we are going to do some voting next year.

The GOP is slitting its throat. Why get in their way?

[kentuck]

22. Yep, most Democrats are chomping at the bit...

to vote for something. Especially if the wars are still going on and Medicare and Social Security have been cut and the Bush taxcuts have been extended and the unemployment rate is still 9%. Yeah, they are enthusiastic as all get out.

[jberryhill]

25. You think Ryan's bullshit is going to pass the Senate?

The House GOP is being left to twist in the wind.

Wait, wait, don't tell me... you were in the "OMG Obama's cutting medicare/SS!" screaming meemie brigade in January, right?

[kentuck]

26. The truth of the matter is..

that no one knows. You do not know. They did extend the Bush taxcuts and now are being attacked for the huge deficits created by the Bush taxcuts. That was a brilliant move, wasn't it?

[jberryhill]

27. Better than the alternative, yes

What is currently happening is all too clear to the average voter who is not a political junkie.

The GOP has painted itself into a corner, and I do not believe there is any negative consequence that is going to come about in the next year and a half that can't be corrected in the first month of the first year after that.

The upside is that no piece of legislation would even reach Obama's desk on this for quite some time, and if the GOP wants to have a veto-override battle on killing medicare in the middle of an election year, then I'm all smiles.

We have them right where we want them.

[Booster]

20. Maybe someone can explain to me why Republican politicians

are so Hell bent on ending these 2 programs. They would, I assume, have large extended families and ending these programs would certainly have a negative effect on their very own brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles etc. Then, if you can explain the politicians reason, maybe you could explain why any sane person would like the idea based on the very same reason - self, brothers, sisters, etc. I just don't get it.

[socialist_n_TN]

23. Pure right wing, Friedmanista, supply side economic

BULLSHIT ideology.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

24. Profit and fear?

Profit and fear are the two arguments I've seen most often. Supposedly programs like Medicare are preventing insurance companies from profiting off of a large portion of the population. They also assert that worker wages are being artificially inflated by SSI and SSDI providing a safety net for disability. Removing that would increase desperation and willingness (supposedly) to take any work at any wage, lowering wages to a more "correct" level. The extra fear of becoming unemployed without any sort of social safety net would make workers more malleable. I guess all of this sounds a bit like the main concern is shifting more power toward those who already have it.

There's also a Righteous Indignation argument which posits that the world doesn't consist of "haves" and "have nots", but of "producers" and "consumers". Those receiving assistance are (in this view) non-productive, consuming without contributing anything. As such, they deserve nothing and should suffer. This argument sounds a lot like the garbage spewed by Ayn Rand, actually.

Do a google on "Stanley Thornton, Jr.", and you'll find the whole range of arguments and a horrifying amount of hatred. I'm very interested in that example because I suspect the RW bloggers are trying to make it go viral, to use Thornton as an unwitting poster child for their cause.

[Lorien]

32. It seems like the Democrats are only comfortable in the role of "minority party"

even when we had the W.H., Senate and congress it was those "mean ol' blue dog Dems" who were 100% in control and the rest of the party was helpless against them. Now the Repugs have congress, but unlike when the Dems had congress during BushCo's time in office the repugs now drive the agenda, while the Dem congress simply caved to most of BushCo's demands. Either the Dems are cowards or they don't support any alternatives to the GOP agenda.

[Enthusiast]

33. That and they control the narrative.

Any TV discussion of the economy or deficits will be mostly comprised of deficit hawk talking points. Our side is barely heard. It's no wonder the Republicans appear reckless and overconfident.

[JoePhilly]

34. That's not exactly why.

They spent the Bush years following the Grover Norquist playbook. Bankrupt the US government and create a deficit that is so huge, people will accept the death of Medicare and Social Security.

This attack started the day Bush "won" in 2000.

[Paula Sims]

35. I say end the programs NOW -- July 1, 2011

IF they are SO horrible and doing SUCH damage to our society, why prolong the agony? Just rip the band-aid off and let the healing begin!

Oh, what is that you said? YOU'D be affected? YOU can't afford medical care otherwise? Sorry, that's just "the collateral damage of doing business". . .


Hypocrites!