There are many people here saying that there is NO WAY this debt deal will ever lead to cuts in Social Security. Apparently the 3rd Way Dems disagree (and Conyers says that Obama disagrees.) I suspect many who say that there will be no SS cuts really don't care if Social Security is "reformed."
Honest Question: Do you support this deal? Do you think SS needs reforming? (By the way, "reform" clearly means cutting, not increasing benefits.)
http://www.thirdway.org/press_releases/166 Third Way Supports Debt Deal: "Compromise a Necessary First Step"
August 01, 2011
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Washington: Third Way President Jonathan Cowan issued the following statement relating to the debt deal worked out between party leaders last night:
“The deal announced last night by President Obama and leaders in Congress will avert a short-term economic calamity, and it will serve as a necessary step toward grappling with our budget deficit. We urge Congress to pass it.
“But this deal is just a first step, and no one should declare ‘mission accomplished.’ As Third Way has said from the beginning of this debate, the only way to avert a long-term fiscal crisis is a grand bargain. The deal pending before Congress gets us part of the way there by making real spending reforms on both the defense and domestic sides of the ledger.
“But to finish the job, the next steps toward such a bargain must involve tough choices on both sides – Republicans must be willing to throw out their pledges and support an increase in revenues;
Democrats must tell their core supporters that the only way to save entitlements like Medicare and Social Security is to reform them. Both options must be on the table immediately, and neither side should view their absence in the current deal as an opportunity to declare them off-limits. A grand bargain is the only way for the United States to avoid a downgrade, get our fiscal house in order and protect crucial investments so that we can secure long-term growth. It will be difficult. But in the coming months, Congress must decide if we are to be a AAA or a AA nation.
“The most heartening thing about this deal is that after months of bitterness and rigidity, it reflects genuine compromise. In an era of divided government, principled compromise cannot be a dirty word. No one thinks this deal is perfect, meaning that, for now at least, negotiators have arrived at an agreement worth building on.”
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