Obama to Create Panel to Study Deficit

[TacticalPeek]

Source: NYT

January 20, 2010
Obama to Create Panel to Study Deficit
By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to create a bipartisan commission to make recommendations to Congress on ways to reduce the federal budget deficit under an agreement reached Tuesday night at the White House.

The agreement is tentative, pending consultations between Congressional leaders and some House and Senate lawmakers. Some details remained in flux.

But according to people familiar with the deal, in principle it commits Democrats to work with Republicans to do what they have not been able to do for a decade through the regular process: compromise on spending cuts and tax increases to produce reductions in annual deficits that, under George W. Bush and now Mr. Obama, have reached the highest levels since World War II.

In the short run, such a commission would buy time for the White House and Congress, putting off decisions until after this year’s midterm elections while the commission deliberates. Democrats and most economists argue that this year is not the right time to make big cuts in spending or raise taxes while the economy remains at risk of falling back into recession.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/politics/20commission.html?pagewanted=print

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BOHICA

[Wilms]

1. I think we already know.

End the War

Tax the Filthy Rich

Problem Solved

:shrug:

[Kalun D]

5. Clinton VS Obama

"Tax the Filthy Rich"

Clinton wasn't that great, he screwed the American worker's future with NAFTA and GATT

One of the ONLY good things Clinton did was balance the budget by increasing taxes on the rich.

Obama is worse than Clinton, economically he's gone at screaming warp speed in the opposite direction

One of his campaign promises was to raise taxes on the rich.

Did he do that? Oh hell no, are you kidding?

Then he pushed $700 BILLION for his banker buddies, like Goldman Sachs who donated $990,000 to his campaign.

Now Obama has sat on his hands while the health insurance lobbyists have pushed a bill that costs $BILLIONS more tax dollars and benefits who? The insurance corporations.

[emsimon33]

8. Nah...that's not Obama's style

Cut or privatize the safety net

Privatize as many services as possible so that tax payers' money can go to huge profits and bonuses for the very wealthy

Tax any benefits gained from union negotiation or collective bargaining

Higher tax cuts for the rich

Higher taxes for the middle class and lower class

End public education

Increased funding for wars and other acts of aggression against US citizens as well as other countries

Limit access to higher education for most Americans

[Stumbler]

39. Aw, you beat me to it.

I couldn't agree with your sentiments more...

[Mari333]

34. yep

[Donnachaidh]

2. bipartisan commission

Never frigging learn.... :puke:

[depakid]

19. Impressive, isn't it?

The administration certainly has proven adept at empowering the opposition.

More impressive still- the more they slam him, the more the administration gives!

[Donnachaidh]

36. Is it Legacy polishing that fuels this, or something stranger?

I'll refrain from even sicker Dominatrix jokes, because it's making me nauseous.

[Hello_Kitty]

3. Can you say "entitlement reform"? I knew you could.

Kiss Social Security goodbye, Gen Xers and those who follow.

[emsimon33]

9. But keep funding wars! Keep tax cuts for the extremely wealthy

[LarryNM]

12. EXACTLY

Only it will effect those before GenX as well. Of course by eliminating the cap on earnings available for Social Security and having a FICA and Medicare tax on All Investment Income, much of the "Problem" would be solved. But then doing this would not help the greater concentration of wealth into fewer hands.

[corpseratemedia]

20. +1

or you wouldn't need a commission to "study" how to cut the deficit



end the fucking wars

there ya go, Obama, and I saved you a lot of money and time



...you need a "bipartisan" ROFL approach though to do what * was too clumsy himself to accomplish

[westerebus]

26. BINGO!

We have a winner!

[Solly Mack]

4. lolol

because Congress can't/won't do its job...create another layer

[Abq_Sarah]

6. Yeah

That's kind of sad.

[salguine]

7. How many Goldman Sachs executives make up a panel?

[emsimon33]

10. Good point

Bet it will be a repeat of the panels for health care reform--reverse Robin Hood!

[tomm2thumbs]

13. +1

[Triana]

11. "Gut social security and Medicare" (privatize them - same diff)

that's what this means.

Period.

[AusDem]

14. lol

bipartisan?

Republican method of cutting budgets (in theory)

cut taxes, end all government programs that are not to do with war, drilling for oil and supporting "faith-based" initiatives.

big money will then balance the private deficit by selling off american assets (physical and IP).

[Lasher]

15. And here I thought I voted for a Democrat.

Silly me.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. bipartisan commission = Forgetaboutit

We've all seen that old dog and pony show before... :puke:

[Lasher]

27. Today I think the Senate is going to vote on a measure (S.2853) to fast track this.

I contacted Jay & Bobby to aske them to oppose it. Obama is setting one up by Executive Order in case S.2853 doesn't pass.

If I were Obama and Congressional Democrats, and if I wanted to get voted out of office, I would be doing the exact same things they are doing now.

[Hubert Flottz]

43. That eight year long sinking feeling I had is coming back...

It was nice to make believe for a couple of months though.

"Bipartisanship" = America is STILL fukt!

[Kolesar]

30. And here I thought I was on a "Democratic" message board

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. You did. A Democrat who promised to try to rise above partisan politics

Or were you just expecting a liberal version of George W. Bush?

[Lasher]

38. He's tried to rise above partisan politics already.

It was naive to think Republicans would react in any other way than they have. Enough with the capitulation already. Now he's betraying what should be sacred to any Democrat, our New Deal social programs. Since you asked, I expected him not to do that.

[Freddie Stubbs]

41. What New Deal social programs has he betrayed?

:shrug:

[Lasher]

44. Do you understand what's going on with the commission described in the OP?

It is the particular source of my anger right now, and where I was coming from when I said I thought I voted for a Democrat.

Right now they're trying to pass S.2853 as a Senate amendment to legislation that will raise the national debt ceiling. The purpose of S.2853 is to fast track cuts in Social Security, and I believe Medicare as well. If this passes, the Senate will have to give the commission's recommendations an up or down vote and get this: The vote at that point would not be subject to filibuster.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7503549&mesg_id=7503549

if S.2853 fails, Obama has agreed to establish an alternative commission by executive order, and that's just what is being discussed in the OP.

[ima_sinnic]

16. yes, and put the ultimate "bipartisan" in charge of it: Lieberman!

to make things really efficient, simply do away with the "bipartisan" folderol and merge the two parties--"bipartisan" problem solved!

then, let's run this "panel" the successful way Max Baucus ran health care "negotiations": behind closed doors, with a caterer serving fresh-brewed free-trade Colombian coffee, with panel members comprising reps from every corp that has made more than $500K in campaign donations. Each member's vote on decisions will have weight proportional to the number of dollars they gave or will pledge.

[OneBlueSky]

17. there's a move afoot, I hear, to make the recommendations of such a commission . . .

mandatory . . . they would have to be accepted and enacted . . . which puts Social Security in great jeopardy, since "entitlements" are such a drain on the budget and such a hot button issue . . . (and yes, I know that SS is not an entitlement) . . .

[Enthusiast]

21. Any 'bipartisan' commission

will be dominated by the Republican position/findings.

That position is predictably that costly "entitlements" like Medicare and Social Security must be reined in and President Obama will use his eloquence to promote their recommendations. He will use his favorite term-unsustainable.

Of course they will pay lip service to cutting waste in the military industrial complex while they actually increase wasteful spending.

Sorry to be so negative but remind me again why we voted for Obama.

[fasttense]

22. I smell a rat.

Why even address the deficit now? When we are at 10% unemployment and have generated NO NEW JOBS in the last 10 years, why not work on job creation instead of the RepubliCONS favorite whipping boy "entitlements"? Shouldn't he be putting together a group to create more jobs?

And this reporter is very deceptive. She joined The New York Times as a national correspondent in August 2008. Previously she had been chief political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau.

Some things she did in her article that are meant to hide the truth.

She didn't mention if the commission's recommendations would be binding and only require an up or down vote. Allowing Senators to claim it wasn't their fault that Social Security benefits were cut to $250 a month and changing the age of eligibility to 90 years old before you get any of the vast sums you paid into Social Security.

She didn't mention that the greedy billionaire she quoted at the end of her article (who just loves binding bipartisan commissions) Pete Peterson has been trying for decades to destroy Social Security.

President Obama has just played into Pete Peterson's plan to destroy Social Security. Just like Ronnie Raygun's commission that almost doubled our social security payroll taxes but eliminated them from the uber wealthy, I foresee an end to Social Security as we know it.

I'm telling you folks President Obama truly believes trickle on economics and deregulation really works. Yes, the masses will suffer and are suffering from the failure of such unproven theories but in the long run he believes the magical mysterious, invisible hand of the "free" market will save us all.

[Hubert Flottz]

42. "work on job creation"

The bastids in Washington are creating new jobs every day...in China and India.

Our well paid political "leaders" have created a few new jobs in this country too. Repo guys and such. The CEOs have never done so well as they are doing now and look at the money the oil companies and arms dealers are knocking down. Defense contractors/mercenaries aren't doing bad either. And with the absence of jobs for the young folks just finishing school, the military recruiter's are on easy street again.

"Shoes For Industry!"

[ChrisMCV]

23. Yeah, this will get a lot done

Appointing a committee is the same as 'delay so we don't have to actually do anything'

Lets see, we spend more then we take in. Its not that complex.

How about proposing we actually cut something and come up with a way to pay for what we don't cut?

Thats not left wing or right wing, its how a budget gets balanced. Politicians have to show they don't understand this fact in order to get elected.

[fasttense]

25. Who cares if the budget deficit is balanced or not?

It didn't seem to stop the RepubliCONS and their favorite sons Raygun and the bushes from creating huge, ever growing mounds and mounds of budget deficits. Hell, we're still paying on the interest from what Raygun spent. Didn't the bushes espouse that Raygun proved deficit don't matter? Why aren't RepubliCONS marching out that canard now?

Besides, if we balance the budget it will only allow some idiot President like Palin or the bushes to turn a surplus into a deficit. Let the RepubliCONS balance the budget when they get into office.

I also recall a history class that showed that when FDR focused on the deficit instead of trying to improve the economy through government spending, unemployment went UP. You want a constant 10% or higher unemployment rate? Just cut back on federal spending and watch the remaining few of our jobs trickle away.

[unhappycamper]

24. The military budget is aboiut $700 billion too much.

Too bad we love shoveling bucks into a gigantic shithole.

[Roland99]

28. Uh..there already is one. BEEN one. David Walker is a key member.

The Concord Coalition and its Fiscal Wake-Up Tour.
http://www.concordcoalition.org/act/fiscal-wake-tour


Walker's been pushing for something for at least 5 years now.

Almost Unnoticed, Bipartisan Budget Anxiety
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/17/AR2005051701238_pf.html

[progressoid]

29. Fuck.

What a waste.

[bemildred]

31. Stall, stall, stall, ... nt

[Igel]

33. Agreed.

Stall.

So they get to postpone doing anything and making any decisions while saying they're doing something. Only because for most politicians words are acts. Searle would not be proud, I think even he'd say that speech acts are not actual actions and are achievements only in some truly trivial sense.


Oh, and don't forget "CYA."

Then, when the committee makes a decision, anything unpopular will be the other guy's recommendation even if dems also voted for it. Or they can just implement what they like and say they've implemented a majority of the recommendations. Or, if there are no recommendations, again have the sound bite, "We tried to work with them but they obstructed all progress." As though it doesn't take two to tango.

[lunatica]

32. Spin it till they're too dizzy to know up from down

Political rule #1: When all else seems to fail, appoint a bi-partisan Commission

It keeps both sides mollified while you zig

[Jefferson23]

37. Oh goodie, I can't wait, I hope Obama makes sure that only the

most strident Blue Dog Dems and Republicans get on this panel. Hooray!!

[WinkyDink]

40. Really? Here are 2 suggestions: 1. Ask Clinton. 2. Rescind Bush tax-cut.

Unless, of course, the plan is to have Democrats decide that Medicare and Social Security are just too, too expensive.

Unlike the Pentagon budget and warfare/occupations.

[Odin2005]

45. The solution is obovious and simple.

Cut Defense Spending
Raise taxes on the rich
Carbon Tax

The "it's complicated" argument is a euphemism for "we can't piss off our owners".

Fuck "bipartisan commissions".