I am thinking that BO wants to make these cuts and the debt ceiling

[Raven]

is a convenient vehicle. That's what I'm thinking about now. He'll tell seniors that it was either them or the global economy and the future of their children and grandchildren. Talk about setting up false choices.

[myrna minx]

1. He's channeling Reagan. n/t

[gateley]

2. Why? What would he gain by that? I don't see the logic. nt

[Enrique]

7. helps him win in 2012

just like he got a bump in the polls from the Bush tax cut. He comes out looking like someone who's above politics. Helps him in the swing states if he doesn't look like a Democrat.

[RebelOne]

14. Well, he won't win with me in 2012 if he cuts Social Security benefits. n/t

[gateley]

24. Wow - I disagree with that. Even I would maybe think twice

about voting him, and I've been a "Kool Aid Drinker"! Those in the Swing States get SS and Medicare payments, too, and if those are diminished, you think they're going to give him their vote?

I don't see it. If the payments are cut at all, recipients will be reminded every month when the check arrives, and the anger will grow. IMO, anyway.

[Lasher]

9. I don't agree with the logic but he is a neoliberal.

In case you are not familiar with the concept, here are the main points of neoliberalism:

THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating "free" enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers' rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say "an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone." It's like Reagan's "supply-side" and "trickle-down" economics -- but somehow the wealth didn't trickle down very much.

CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply -- again in the name of reducing government's role. Of course, they don't oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.

DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.

PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.

ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF "THE PUBLIC GOOD" or "COMMUNITY" and replacing it with "individual responsibility." Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves -- then blaming them, if they fail, as "lazy."

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376

Think about what Obama does, not what he says. Then ask yourself if any of his behavior fits any of the above points.

[gateley]

25. I understand your point about what he's done/may do, but

I'm not sure I can buy that he's a neo-liberal. He chose community service after law school instead of a cush job with a law -- or lobbying -- firm. And I honestly don't think it was ever his plan to cut social services expenditures, he's just giving too much (as usual). Although I know some of his past decisions may point that way, I still don't think that's who he is.

I would LOVE to see what he would have done/would do, if he didn't have so much opposition. I don't know why he didn't accomplish more when we had the House, but a lot of blame lies with the House itself.

[Autumn]

3. In view of the fact that Nancy Pelosi acknowledged

Friday "that Democrats may reluctantly accept a last-minute compromise to raise the debt limit that involves up to $2.5 trillion in spending cuts, without any agreed-upon plan for new tax revenues."

I think you are absolutely right. This is his baby. He wants it.

[DFab420]

He is obviously the devil sent to kill us all.

He clearly only wants to kill grandmothers and steal money for his own secret crazy wall street friends.....


:sarcasm:



I used to think this stuff was only on freeperland and the noise. Guess we couldn't help ourselves here.

[Raven]

12. Nope, not the devil but someone who has lost his moral compass

and is willing to favor special interests over the rest of us. Hubris....

[Wait Wut]

17. Yep.

I also thought only RWers referred to our President as "BO".

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. Raven is not a RWer.

Thought I'd clear that up for you. Nor is she alone in her feelings on this. It's becoming increasingly difficult to deny Obama doesn't want these cuts. If he'll get them still remains to be seen, however. This isn't like the extension of the Bush tax cuts, there's nothing they have to offer up that's going to validate these cuts in the minds of many Democrats.

[Wait Wut]

22. I didn't say Raven was a RWer.

I said I thought only RWers referred to our President as "BO". Just thought I'd clear that up for you.

Regarding the rest of your comment, I can only assume that you have an advanced degree in Psychology and have personally interviewed our President. Either that or you're a super spy that has infiltrated his mind with some type of drug that forces him to call you (and Raven) and spill his true, deepest, secretest thoughts.

Either way, she may not "be alone in her feelings", but the miniscule population that rides that horse and lives here on DU is pretty far out there with that thought.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

27. My apologies for any confusion over your RWer comment.

I never said you said she was a RWer.

As to the rest of your post, I read what is being reported in the press regarding this issue. Not here on DU, but the LA Times, NY times, Washington Post and The Hill, among others. According to these publications it's common knowledge Boehner and Obama have been discussing raising the Medicare eligibility age and reducing Social Security benefit increases. All this is being pushed at a break-neck speed under the guise that without a debt deal, there will be no raise to the debt ceiling.

On Tuesday, in regards to the Gang of Six's proposal, Obama said, "We have a Democratic president and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts and modifications to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare that would strengthen those systems” and provide for new tax revenues. And, he added, “we now have a bipartisan group of senators” and a majority of the American people who agree."

Polling which has been done over the past week shows this is not a popular option with voting Americans. Which is why I stated it remains to be seen if these cuts will come to pass or not. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue Obama doesn't want these cuts when one is hearing words come out of his own mouth which appear to contradict such thinking.

[Eric J in MN]

4. The ghost of David Broder

...will praise Obama for resolving the issue of Social Security forever-more (sarcasm).

[TheWraith]

5. I think that hyperspeculation is what DU does best.

Give us no facts, we'll come up with SOME kind of scenario to claim that Democrats are evil.

[JoePhilly]

11. +1000

[Raven]

15. "Hyperspeculation"??? Check back in in a few days on that. n/t

[TheWraith]

16. I do, and every time, I'm reminded of how much bullshit gets slung around here. nt

[Itchinjim]

28. +1000

[jtown1123]

6. Where have you been? haha. Of course he wants this. Check out his USA TODAY OpEd

[EFerrari]

8. That's what the economist said today on Amy's show.

Michael Hudson, president of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and author of the book Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire.

"Now, how—the question is, how can a Democratic president put forth a Republican program? There has to be a crisis. Now, in reality, there is no crisis at all. In reality, the raising the debt ceiling has been done for a hundred years automatically. There is no connection between raising the debt ceiling and arguing over tax policy. Tax policy takes many years to work out. All of a sudden, Mr. Obama is going along with the charade of saying, "Wait a minute, let’s create a crisis." As his former manager, Rahm Emanuel, said, a crisis is too important an opportunity to waste. And Wall Street doesn’t like real crises, so there’s an artificial non-crisis that Obama is treating as a crisis so that he can put forth the recommendations of the Deficit Reduction Commission to get rid of Social Security that he has supported all along. That’s the problem. He believes it."

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/7/22/pushing_crisis_gop_cries_wolf_on

video, transcript at link

[kath]

30. Thanks for this info. Yep, he really does want to do this.

As another poster said, the mask is off.

Can we PUH-LEEZE have a real Democrat (or socialist) to run against this guy?

[blkmusclmachine]

10. He wants to do it. No question about that anymore.

He just needs a fall guy, a patsy, to give it cover. The mask is off.

[JoePhilly]

13. Its why his health care legislation has DEATH PANELS!!!!

[Wait Wut]

18. The birth certificate was a fake!

Everyone knows that he's the antiChrist and was born in Afghanistan!!!

[eridani]

33. It has private insurance companies, which are death panels by definition n/t

[Angry Dragon]

19. If the President really wanted the American people to

know what was going on he would swing the negotiation doors wide open and let the American people inside.
Instead it is all these secret deals, letting the Professionals do their job. I call bullshit on it all.

If one reads all the posts, all the replies to this debt problem one will see that no one knows what is going on.
This is no different than the piece of garbage this country ate in December.

Where are all the politicians that really care about the American people??
It seems that corporations are more important than the living, breathing people of this country.

I am really pissed.............

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. I'm thinking along the same lines.

I didn't want to believe it at first, but that's the conclusion I've come to as well.

The whole situation reeks of political maneuvering and we're going to get the short end of the stick again.

[Raine]

23. I think the same thing. nt

[ljm2002]

26. I'm thinking you're right... n/t

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

29. Unfortunately with Obama, it's beginning to look like

we're going to see the Republican agenda come to pass, but with the blame going to the Democrats for the coming deluge. At least if a Republican were in office to face the hell that's coming, it would have killed their party for decades.

[kath]

31. That's why, as someone posted yesterday, it's such an absolutely brilliant con.

Boy, did we ever get snookered. Enact the agenda the Repugs have been putting in place for decades, and kill off what's left of the Democratic Party in the process. Brilliant.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

32. Attaching it to the debt ceiling talks --

turns it into a crisis and forces reluctant Dems to vote for the shit. Wouldn't it be a kicker if it was Boehner who was refusing the deal because the T-Baggers would have a stroke over cutting their SS? :D