What Obama Wants (Paul Krugman)

[chill_wind]

What Obama Wants
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: July 7, 2011

On Thursday, President Obama met with Republicans to discuss a debt deal. We don’t know exactly what was proposed, but news reports before the meeting suggested that Mr. Obama is offering huge spending cuts, possibly including cuts to Social Security and an end to Medicare’s status as a program available in full to all Americans, regardless of income.

Obviously, the details matter a lot, but progressives, and Democrats in general, are understandably very worried. Should they be? In a word, yes.

Now, this might just be theater: Mr. Obama may be pulling an anti-Corleone, making Republicans an offer they can’t accept. The reports say that the Obama plan also involves significant new revenues, a notion that remains anathema to the Republican base. So the goal may be to paint the G.O.P. into a corner, making Republicans look like intransigent extremists — which they are.

But let’s be frank. It’s getting harder and harder to trust Mr. Obama’s motives in the budget fight, given the way his economic rhetoric has veered to the right. In fact, if all you did was listen to his speeches, you might conclude that he basically shares the G.O.P.’s diagnosis of what ails our economy and what should be done to fix it. And maybe that’s not a false impression; maybe it’s the simple truth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/opinion/08krugman.html?_r=1&hp

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[tularetom]

2. I'd be less concerned if I thought Obama was "caving" to the gop

What worries me is that he may really believe this crap.

After all he's the guy who appointed all those loonies to that cat food commission and more or less approved of their recommendations.

He's also the guy who brought Summers and Geithner into his administration and kept Bernanke on.

[somone]

5. The evidence is piling up fast

the guy is trying hard to impress his dead idol RR

[somone]

3. "It’s getting harder and harder to trust Mr. Obama’s motives"

[Big Blue Marble]

4. Excellent

Thanks for the link.

[David Gill]

6. But are there no changes worth making to SS and Medicare?

What if the proposal was to eliminate Medicare benefits for people who averaged more than $250,000 per year in income over their working lives, and Social Security for those averaging $500,000? Or something to that extent. Currently, wages surpassing the SS Wage Base ($106,800 currently) aren't subject to SS withholding tax. What if, instead of Social Security being a regressive tax like it is now, it was flat, or even progressive?? What if 100% of SS benefits for people who had reached the top income rate are taxed?

My point is, these programs aren't perfect, and there are ways of making them cost less that could satisfy liberals.

Now, who knows what's actually going on in these negotiations??

[mazzarro]

8. Obama's negotiation style with rethugs has never been reliable

The problem with Obama has been that he had never started any of his negotiation from a strong left-leaning basis. He has always abandoned the liberal basis of any argument and jumped to concession even before the negotiation, then he turns around and complains that his efforts are never appreciated by the left.

[Enthusiast]

11. Mr. Obama's past actions have

made many of us skeptical.

He created the deficit commission. Instead of appointing middle of the road moderates to head the commission he appointed rabid anti-new deal zealots to head it. Also he agreed to FICA cuts and extending the Bush tax cuts. Both of these actions put medicare and social security on less sound footing. Now why would a "Democratic" President do this?

[Fearless]

13. None of these things solve the budget deficit as SS et al are paid for outside of the budget.

The government doesn't contribute to it through income tax. We do through payroll tax. The program should have nothing to do with balancing the budget. It is being sucked into it because it is a proverbial cash cow they can steal from... again.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

7. I don't care what he wants. I care what he DOES.

And depending on that, he may or may not get my vote. He's standing RIGHT on MY line in the sand, even if HE won't draw any. I have long since lost patience with him and this is the last straw.

[Pholus]

9. +1

[Enthusiast]

10. K&R! nt

[popsicle ricky]

12. What Obama wants.....

A position with the Carlyle Group.