Obama's Giving Away the Store

[IndianaJoe]

<http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/compromising-position-liberals-dont.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>


Among the provisions to which Obama had said yes to Republicans, according to a senior administration official, were the following:

Medicare: Raising the eligibility age, imposing higher premiums for upper income beneficiaries, changing the cost-sharing structure, and shifting Medigap insurance in ways that would likely reduce first-dollar coverage. This was to generate about $250 billion in ten-year savings. This was virtually identical to what Boehner offered.

Medicaid: Significant reductions in the federal contribution along with changes in taxes on providers, resulting in lower spending that would likely curb eligibility or benefits. This was to yield about $110 billion in savings. Boehner had sought more: About $140 billion. But that’s the kind of gap ongoing negotiation could close.

Social Security: Changing the formula for calculating cost-of-living increases in order to reduce future payouts. The idea was to close the long-term solvency gap by one-third, although it likely would have taken more than just this one reform to produce enough savings for that.

Discretionary spending: A cut in discretionary spending equal to $1.2 trillion over ten years, some of them coming in fiscal year 2012. The remaining differences here, over the timing of such cuts, were tiny.

[Big Blue Marble]

1. IMO, an excellent analysis N/T

[EFerrari]

9. Yes, it comports with the best reporting I've read so far. n/t

[DeSwiss]

2. K&R n/t

[woo me with science]

3. Strong K&R nt

[Middle finga]

4. K & R

The article was spot on, thanks for posting.

[Historic NY]

5. But the Pukes couldn't say YES........genus isn't it..

[EFerrari]

11. So are you saying the President is not trying to cut a deal?

He's willing to risk default, is that his brilliant plan?

Because that isn't what he says. In which case, we need to be prepared for Boner to say "yes" and lose this "brilliant" game of Republican Roulette.

[mfcorey1]

6. The senate will chew that proposal up and spit it out. nt

[11 Bravo]

7. If it's all the same to you, I'll wait until a deal is inked; because it is an indisputable fact ...

that so far PRESIDENT (just in case you forgot) Obama has not given away a single fucking thing. I find it telling how many people are willing to exhibit their unseemly haste to pile on before anything actually happens.
I have written, emailed, and called the White House strongly urging the President not to make any of the cuts you flatly state that he is willing to make. If he does so anyway, I will be pissed off, and will react accordingly. But until then I am old enough and wise enough to realize that in politics a lot of shit gets said, suggested, and alluded to; but until it's fucking put in place ... nothing has happened.

[treestar]

8. Also demanding raises in taxes and defense cuts

In order to avoid a default, which is said to be pretty bad.

[Cleita]

10. Unfortunately, it's not his store to give away, nor

their's to be received. It makes thieves of all of them.