House Democrats leave door open to 'Gang of Six' debt framework

[ProSense]

House Democrats leave door open to 'Gang of Six' debt framework

by Jed Lewison

AP:

Top House Democrats are making positive but cautious comments about a deficit-reduction proposal by a bipartisan group of senators called the Gang of Six.

At a brief appearance with reporters Wednesday morning, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said "No" when asked whether she would advise Democratic lawmakers to vote against the proposal. But shortly afterward, her spokesman, Nadeam Elshami, expressed uncertainty that her remark represented a definitive position, cautioning that the Gang of Six plan lacked specifics and was still subject to negotiation.

Separately, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee said the Gang of Six proposal is promising but there's likely too little time for Congress to act before the Aug. 2 default deadline.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said "there's still a lot of details that have not come out."

Obviously, some elements of the Gang of Six plan are deal breakers, for example the fact that it contains Social Security cuts. And the plan itself is vague in many crucial respects. But as it relates to the debt limit, I think the key thing is the point made by Chris Van Hollen: getting a comprehensive, balanced fiscal plan in place is going to take longer than the twelve days we have left before the August 2 debt deadline. The clock isn't just running out, it's basically run out.

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Sounds like what the President said yesterday.

Bernie Sanders: Defending the American Social Safety Net

[leveymg]

1. Obama's M.O. - another bad choice squeezed out of reluctant House Dems by manufactured crisis.

They've gotten the ritual down perfectly, haven't they?

This way, Obama and Wall Street get everything they want, Dems get to claim they were forced into it, and the GOP get to claim another real victory in their war on the New Deal.

Everyone in DC wins. Everyone else loses.

[Inuca]

5. Manufactured crisis?

You and Bachman.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CakeGrrl]

11. Let's see if I have this right:

The Republicans deliberately manufacture this crisis by not raising the debt ceiling in a transparent attempt to cast blame on the President if the nation defaults.

But somehow the attempts by the President to thwart the GOP's efforts are merely a "front" to capitalize on this Republican obstructionism for the benefit of his 'Wall Street buddies'?


:wtf:

[Cali_Democrat]

20. Not necessarily

The GOP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street. They will never allow the nation to default.

The Republicans are simply pushing this as far as they can to see what kind of cuts they can get for SS, Medicare and Medicaid. It's a hostage situation very similar to the hostage situation at the end of 2010 when they held unemployment benefits hostage.

What's interesting is that both positions are politically untenable and the GOP will eventually cave no matter what.

But they know Obama lacks a spine and they're trying to see what they can get from him.

It's is indeed a crisis manufactured by the GOP. The debt ceiling is always raised with no strings attached, but this time it's not as the House tries to hold a weak President hostage.

[harun]

19. Damn right they did. Same game plan as the tax cuts for the wealthy.

[DrToast]

2. Cantor has softened a bit too

Something might come out of this.

[earthside]

4. 'Something' will.

It is the austerity agenda.

One way or another, the debt ceiling will be raised ... and working Americans are going to have to do with less.

And the wealthiest of Americans will barely feel a slight twinge when their accountants find new loopholes to cover the old loopholes.

[John Agar]

6. Most likely something that will screw us all...

While protecting the wealthy and big corporations.

Their taxes will go down, ours will go up, and SS and Medicare will be seriously mangled.

Unless we tell our so-called "leaders" that enough is enough.

[creeksneakers2]

14. The plan calls for a "competitive territorial tax system"

Which, translated into English means that US multinationals would no longer pay one cent of US taxes on income earned overseas. I looked it up.

[John Agar]

22. UGH! Government of the rich, by the rich...

And, well you get it...

[creeksneakers2]

13. Boehner too

The plan is a GOP wet dream.

[flamingdem]

3. This proposal seems to have created a distraction

from the immediate issue. I suppose that was for a reason, not just desperation.. let's hope so because it makes congress look even more dysfunctional. A huge proposal, not worked out, that creates a whole new set of detractors and supporters, whew.

[Armstead]

7. Inmteresting you put that Bernie Sanders quote there. He is opposed to the Gang of Six plan

On one of the news shows he made it clear that in his opinion the Gang of Six was just another version of the Ryan budget plan, and he would not support it.

[Dr Fate]

9. He's not even in the Democratic Party- he is in the Socialist party.

Obama can impress independents and swing voters by being opposed to him.

I believe that is the connection.

[Armstead]

10. Sanders is basically a populist liberal

That used to be considered a good thing in the Democratic Party.

But I guess these days, Democrats want to join the GOP in Let's Punch the Liberals.

[Dr Fate]

21. I just heard him on the radio- he is opposed to the gang of 6. Prosense's OP is misleading.

n/t

[bornskeptic]

12. I cannot believe that Bernie Sanders said anything as ignorant

as calling the Gang of Six Plan a variation of the Ryan Plan. The Gang of Six Plan appears to have a great deal in common with the Bowles-Simpson proposal, which for all its problems is light-years different from Ryan's proposal. I respect Bernie Sanders and his opinion, and you're not doing him any favors by putting words in his mouth.

[TheKentuckian]

15. "Problems"? The Catfood Commission is a huge debacle and well on the way to

the Ryan plan "ideal".

Finding a nastier turd doesn't mean that vile, green, rancid piece of crap isn't a complete piece of shit.

This is crappily unfolding as I predicted, Ryan is being used as a framing device and a gravity point.

Stop falling for this transparent bullshit, this whole thing is a shakedown scam.

There is almost always a worse possibility in this Universe, it cannot be used as an excuse to accept anything better the worst nightmare.
Unacceptable remains unacceptable no matter how much more so it could be.

[Armstead]

17. They both will starvethe government and place it in a straightjacket for decades

While rewarding the wealthy and corpidations.

[Bluenorthwest]

24. Bernie's own words should suffice....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1539754

[NorthCarolina]

16. We are all being played like fools. n/t

[dflprincess]

18. But Pelosi said there was no way House Democrats would support

cuts to Medicare and Social Security!

Of course, she also said any health bill they passed would have to have a public option.... I don't know why I ever listen to her.

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Senator Bernie Sanders opposes the so called 'Gang of 6 Plan'

Strongly and clearly opposes it.