Obama announced support today for Social Security expansion

[Eric J in MN]

...and a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) wrote, "It’s almost as though the president is trying to sound like Bernie Sanders."

In 2011, Bernie Sanders was a guest on Thom Hartmann's radio show. A caller asked Sanders about Obama trying to make a Grand Bargain with Republicans to raise taxes and cut Social Security.

Sanders replied that a primary challenge would move Obama to the left.

Sanders has been criticized for saying that, and I wish he had given a different passionate answer in defense of Social Security. But Obama's announcement today is vindication of Sanders pro-Social Security position.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-06-01/obama-proposes-expanding-social-security-benefits-for-elderly

[Trust Buster]

1. It would be foolish to expand a program that's currently going broke. I see no evidence that

the President said any such thing. This is a non-starter in Congress. A compromise to shore up the current program must be found before anything.

[JRLeft]

2. You are a Republican. You're exposing yourself everyday.

[Trust Buster]

4. Sorry, any actuary will tell you that, if the current program is not shored up, it will go belly up.

[JRLeft]

6. Raise the cap.

[Trust Buster]

7. That's a possibility. I just don't know how people can talk about expansion until the current

system is stabilized.

[JRLeft]

8. Corporate democrats including HRC have been against raising the cap.

[Trust Buster]

9. What would you be willing to concede to reach consensus with Republicans on this issue ?

[JRLeft]

13. They had chances to it. They could have changed the rules, but it wouldn't matter because most of

the party was against it.

[Trust Buster]

15. You did not address my question. The Republicans control the Senate and House. What would you

agree to offer them in return for lifting the cap ?

[JRLeft]

18. I did, that issue could have been resolved in 2009.

[Trust Buster]

24. I'm talking about the present because the OP is about the present. I will take your avoidance as

an admission that, given the Republicans control of the Senate and the House, just talking the talk won't get it done.

[Live and Learn]

41. I'd be willing to concede their low tax rates. nt

[nc4bo]

10. I was damn sure thinking similar thoughts JR. nt

[JRLeft]

14. He has all of the talking points down.

[Trust Buster]

16. Then answer my question. The Republicans control the Senate and the House, what would be

acceptable for the Democrats to offer the Republicans to get them to agree to lift the cap. That's not a talking point, that's the political reality of the situation.

[Broward]

3. Paid poster or not, you are big part of the problem.

[Trust Buster]

5. Seems you're expereincing a math problem again.

[AgingAmerican]

40. That is the standard Republican talking point

[Eric J in MN]

42. My OP links to an article which quotes Obama.

"It is time we finally made Social Security more generous and increase the benefits so that today’s retirees and future generations get the dignified retirement that they have earned," Obama said in Elkhart, Indiana, during a speech in which he spoke against Republican economic policies.

[AtomicKitten]

11. Quite contrary to his Grand Bargain offer and rather late in his presidency to become actual policy

But I do appreciate the gesture and concomitant nod to Bernie.

[CorporatistNation]

12. My Policy On Social Security As A Congressional Candidate in 2012

Solutions to Secure Social Security

Congress Writes The Laws

My Platform

Support legislation that strengthens Social Securities basic tenets as a federally administered retirement, disability and premature death benefit insurance program.

Broaden the mandatory participation to include state and local governmental employees not currently participating, at an agreed upon age cutoff.

Support legislation making the FICA tax more income progressive by making the first $12,000 of "earned income" (Wages, Salary) exempt from the FICA tax with annual cost of living adjustments.

Increase immediately the cap on earnings subject to FICA taxation from the current level of $106,000 to $10,000,000 to be followed by annual adjustments over the next 8 years to a level of $50,000,000.

Earnings subject to the FICA tax shall be defined to include both "earned income" as well as "unearned income" among those who are below retirement age.

Earned as well as unearned income of Social Security beneficiaries over the current retirement age will be exempt from FICA tax up to $80,000 annually for those citizens who are above age 67 with an annual cost of living adjustment for both income and benefits.

Those citizens who upon reaching the age of retirement decide against taking Social Security Benefits will be accorded an exemption of FICA tax on the first $120,000 of both earned and unearned income annually.

Support legislation instituting some “Means Testing” of benefits at higher “retirement” income levels to include (earned and unearned income).

Raise or remove limits on retiree earnings "earned income" based on current definition of the federal retirement age of benefit eligibility.

Decrease or eliminate FICA taxation on retiree “earned” income.

Support investment of a maximum of 10% of surplus receipts by The Social Security Administration in conservative market investments in an attempt to increase overall earnings on Trust Fund investments.

Increase cap on IRA's to $100,000 to encourage savings.

Develop a program of federally sponsored defined contribution plans outside of and in addition to Social Security.

Act to re-institute federal pay as you go budget rules as a means of controlling federal spending.

Act to legislate a time-frame for gradual elimination of the practice of financing federal government deficit spending by “dipping” into The Social Security Trust Fund.

Overview
Social Security since its inception in the midst of the Great Depression, has grown to be an American institution. More than any other government program, Social Security has fulfilled its promise of providing a federally administered insurance program for nearly all Americans, protecting them should they become disabled, or lose a family breadwinner prematurely while also providing some measure of security in old age.

Fully a third of Social Security beneficiaries are not retirees. This publicly administered disability and life insurance security covering nearly all Americans has been described as protection that few Americans could afford through private sector insurers. It has been incredibly cost-efficient as well, with an annual operating cost of less than 1.3%.

Social Security is most notable however, as a federally administered retirement security insurance program... Social Security IS NOT an investment program. The OASDI (Old Age, Survivor and Disability Insurance) program has fulfilled its promise over the years... NEVER failing to issue a check to any beneficiary as promised. It has over the years however, had to respond to trends that had the potential to adversely affect its operations.

Congress has in such instances sustained the fiscal vitality of Social Security through a combination of tax increases, and what were effectively benefit cuts. For example, in 1983, Congress legislated gradual increases over time, to the retirement age in combination with increases in the payroll tax, which together, are conservatively projected to fiscally sustain Social Security through at least 2042.

Former President George W. Bush's proposal to “partially privatize” Social Security was diametrically at odds with the basic premise upon which Social Security was founded. At its inception, the purpose of Social Security was to provide a basic income floor in retirement for virtually all Americans.

Throughout its history, Social Security has been modified as circumstances required in order to fulfill its obligations. Today the situation is no different.

The Bush Proposal centered around private investment accounts served to weaken the fiscal viability of Social Security by drawing at least $2 Trillion dollars borrowed from China to finance this transition. This plan would have only drawn closer the dates at which Social Security would deplete the surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund, from which all administrations have borrowed heavily as a means of balancing the federal budget and diminishing deficits.

In recent years massive tax cuts that disproportionately favored the affluent as well as Medicare Part D resulted in severe revenue deficits as administration(s) drew heavily from the Social Security Trust Fund resulting in greatly diminished funding for Social Security objectives present and future.

While President Bush embraced a proposal involving a plan for progressive indexing of benefits that fortunately failed, the current push for continuing cuts to the payroll tax by the Obama administration will be similarly damaging if it is passed this spring. A continuation of payroll tax revenue cuts over time will result in the same goal of achieving the “Ideological” objective of dismantling Social Security.

While President Obama's payroll tax cuts on their face appear populist, the underlying end result will be a less fiscally solvent Social Security Fund. The fight against the payroll tax cuts by conservative members of congress on the other hand is a false one, just as President Obama's fight on behalf of the payroll tax is faux as well.

It is a political charade that in the end will leave all who look forward to the benefit of Social Security in our elder years (which is most of us!)... holding an empty bag.

My position is that a safer stimulus to the economy that would not harm Social Security would be to initiate a federal tax credit of $2,000 for each federal tax filer on the first $100,000 of income. Such a plan would provide far more stimulus to the economy without negatively impacting Social Security.

Historically there has always been a vocal group of conservatives who opposed Social Security on “ideological” grounds. Today this opposition philosophy endures, with its proponents e.g., Paul Ryan, taking what they believe to be their golden opportunity to weaken the program to such an extent, that it no longer provides guaranteed benefits at a level that sustains its popular support. While their larger effort is forestalled at present, they will be back, and we should be ready. Please recognize that their ideological goal, is not to secure Social Security, but to destroy it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. This reflects the Sanders influence

Before Sanders ran Democrats almost exclusively talked bout "preserving Social Security" and that almost always meant finding a way to trim benefits - by recalculating Cost of Living expenses and/or making people wait longer to collect and/or something worse. It was considered bold for a Democrat to argue for simply holding the line, and impossible for a "serious Democrat" to talk about expanding Social Security benefits.

Thank you Bernie.

[Broward]

19. Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.

[BootinUp]

22. I would argue it has more to do with the economy, and that Bernie's

message finally made sense to more people.

[Tom Rinaldo]

26. The ecoomy was even worse between 2008 and 2014

I think his message is making more sense to more people because more people are hearing the message because Bernie will not back off it.

[BootinUp]

27. The shock hasn't worn off is all.

The problems with unity in both parties is all traceable back to the crash. In the pukes case, their leaders brazen support for the wealthy finally undid them. The average guy in their party is like these people can't win, we need to try something different.

The sane party will come out of it with some much milder battle scars. People lost their life savings and shit. But in the final analysis the D party was always on the right side of the issues, even though we didn't win enough of the time.

[nc4bo]

20. Means nothing. Just pretty ♡words♡.

[senz]

23. Um ...

I love those little hearts.

[nc4bo]

28. I was shocked they actualky showed up.

♥♥♥

[senz]

31. They were especially adorable in your title line.

The clear centers are very cool.

For anybody who's interested in this "inner child" conversation, here is one website I found that enables such adorableness: http://fsymbols.com/computer/

I hardly ever make use of it, but since it's fun and some of us may not be here much longer, maybe it's time to sprinkle a few around. 👌 🙌 💋 🙏

They're so little.

[nc4bo]

37. They ARE!

Thanks for the link!

[senz]

21. Lame Duckism has freed Obama to be his better self, and I've been enjoying it.

This is the person he wanted to be from the get-go -- before the baddies scared him into paralyzed caution and uncomfortably regrettable decisions. Good for my President!

I know my hoped-for future President, Bernie Sanders, is smiling, too.

[nc4bo]

25. Just words senz. Party unity and all that bull.

I will never believe anything said by these folks ever again.

Any one can say anything.

Not long ago we had the cat food commission and screwing around "entitlements" was absolutely on the table.

Nothing has changed.

[senz]

29. No, he's done several things, each of which has been good.

Right now all I'm remembering is a string of happy impressions emanating from Obama's actions, but I do remember the last one: he gave an order that transgender kids can use the bathroom that suits the gender they are inside. That takes courage; it pissed off all the sex obsessives.

He's done others, too, but I'd have to do a search. Later for that.

[nc4bo]

30. Social issue, important YES! but still very much in the 3rd way wheelhouse

It's the economic issues that hurt us all too! The death by a million cuts slooowly rather than the Republican ASAP.

CorpoDems are mostly liberal with social issues.

[senz]

33. He said something today that resonates with Bernie's views.

"The fact is this: The opportunity gap in America is now as much about class as it is about race. And that gap is growing," Obama said in remarks at a nonprofit community center in one of Washington's most impoverished neighborhoods.

"So if we're going to take on growing inequality, and try to improve upward mobility for all people, we've got to move beyond the false notion that this is an issue exclusively of minority concern."

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/money/2013/12/04/obama-income-inequality-as-much-about-class-as-it-is-about-race/

[nc4bo]

34. Multi dimensional chess. Trying to woo Sanders' supporters. They are all doing it.

Unless the FBI whispered something in his ear which I doubt.

[CharlotteVale]

32. Exactly. I don't buy it either. Not after the catfood commission and

Chained CPI.

[nc4bo]

35. These Dems are asking for our trust and I'm fresh out.

Really and truly.

This is what happens when you constantly and consistently shill for the 1% ers.

[senz]

36. In Feb., Obama made clear his preference for Bernie over Hillary.

And I was the only person on the whole fucking planet to catch it. So about a month ago I put it in an OP but did such a lousy job that no one even noticed. But it's in there ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511884307

[nc4bo]

38. Amazing how many posts get missed around here.

I completely missed that one! Thanks.

Colored me a wee bit shocked.

I still can't trust him (the out of the box bipartisanship did it for me) and I voted for him twice.

[senz]

39. Complete agreement that economic issues are central to what is wrong

in America and that social issues are being used as a smokescreen by those who cheat and exploit their fellow Americans.

That's very evident. I've seen how the Hill camp has used social issues in a very dishonest way, making totally false allegations about Bernie who has always been better on social issues than Hill. They did it to mislead minority voters, and for that they deserve nothing but loathing.

However, I truly believe Obama is not with the oligarchs. As a young law school graduate he could have done anything but he went to work as a community organizer. I believe his heart is still in a good place. Maybe I just like Obama (and I do, I like his whole family) but something tells me he's not like Bill and Hill. In fact, I don't think he likes them at all, but "politics makes for strange bedfellows."

[robbedvoter]

43. You do know Hillary has a policy for it, right?

It was unrolled before the originator of all ideas said his. Just sayin.😎