Conservatives attacking Obama over SS and Medicare cuts. Who would have guessed?

[Luminous Animal]

An email from Erick Erickson at RedState via FDL.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/07/22/republicans-already-attacking-proposed-social-security-cuts-from-the-left/

Dear RedState Supporter,

It’s the devastating truth that young voters will believe whatever Barack Obama tells them.

First he says he’ll never consider cutting Social Security. Now he says he WILL consider cutting Social Security. And the young will go along with it. Just because he says it’s right.

“Don’t worry, Dad, President Obama says you’ll hardly notice the cuts.”

If I were counting on Social Security today, I’d be dead scared.

[readmoreoften]

1. He gave them that ammo. Putting cuts on the table is about the dumbest thing a Democrat could do.

[emulatorloo]

5. The RedState guy is a disingenuous propagandist. And a FuckHead.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Agreed.

[Marr]

41. Of course he is. But it's sort of hard to work up the will to defend

Obama from a slap fight based on his offer to kick us in the nuts.

[gateley]

2. I've been saying this all along - this will hurt BOTH parties,

although, predictably, they'll blame it on Obama.

People of both parties depend on those "entitlements" - I just don't understand why either party even wants to touch them.

[emulatorloo]

3. If Boehner gets his way, I'll probably end up Real Dead.

What a disingenuous wing nut FuckHead. "dead scared" my ass

[Poll_Blind]

4. They want to steal as much of the AARP crowd (among others) as they can. IMO, the...

...worst thing Obama has done is devalued the currency of the Democratic Party with those who use social services like the disabled and seniors. President Obama is obviously concerned about things like rising interest rates as a result of a falling credit rating for our treasury instruments...but what about a declining credit rating of the Democratic Party by those who have traditionally been in our corner?

He's putting not just his own ass on the line, but the "full faith and credit" of the Democratic Party on the whole. This is a gamble I'm not sure any one person or administration should be allowed to make.

PB

[ProSense]

6. Did someone expect them not to?

They spent all of last year doing the same thing because Obama cut Bush's Medicare scam program.

It's why Krugman said this in April about the 2010 elections: "Oh, and for all those older Americans who voted GOP last year because those nasty Democrats were going to cut Medicare, I have just one word: suckers!"

[ejpoeta]

7. counter with the fact that they didn't walk away because he put the medicare cuts on the table...

they walked away because he wanted to raise taxes on the rich.

[Luminous Animal]

10. Do you think Erick Erickson and RedState members will mention that? No they won't.

They'll milk the Obama's willingness to cut very popular programs (with conservatives and independents).

[ejpoeta]

15. it doesn't matter what he does, they will use it to their advantage.

i am not happy that he is willing to put social security or medicare cuts on the table, but again, they voted to turn medicare into a voucher program. they aren't going to say that, but that is what they did. and it is up to the dems to counter it. And i know that dems aren't known for good messaging . No matter what dems do, the republicans and their MSM counterparts will make sure that it will be turned against them. He has bent over backwards to hand them whatever whether it is because he knew they wouldn't accept it or because he REALLY REALLY would like the debt ceiling raised please. and they STILL didn't give an inch. That says more about them than it does about him. But they will bilk it for all it's worth.

And it is up to obama and the dems to fight this messaging war. Because they DO have a message. It is that the republicans are only interested in protecting the rich. And they want to do it on the backs of the poor and the elderly. They didn't walk away because there were cuts for social security that THEY wanted.... they walked away because I wanted the rich to sacrifice too! and that was too much. It was too much to ask for the rich to pay more taxes. They wanted everyone else to sacrifice like the elderly and the middle class, but no way would they let the rich take a hit. Did obama agree to discuss putting these cuts on the table? if he did it was because it was what the republicans were demanding. so their bs about obama wanting this was crap. the republicans were demanding these cuts as a condition to raise the debt ceiling.

[Luminous Animal]

17. A Democrat should have never NEVER asked the poor and elderly to sacrifice.

NEVER.

[ejpoeta]

37. i totally agree. i have no idea why he keeps dealing with these people.

they have no intention of doing it. he has precedent to show him that even when he gives them things they want they then vote against them ANYWAY!! yet here we are. I am not sure what he is doing, and you are right that he shouldn't even be putting the poor and elderly on the table even if he knows the republicans would never take it.

[larwdem]

23. thing is

truth doesn't matter to the repiglicans

[Luminous Animal]

26. Dear larwdem. I would prefer that you abstain from using childish nicknames in my thread.

[merbex]

30. He could have DONE NOTHING and let those Bush tax cuts expire

and used the bully pulpit to fight for the unemployed...right before the holidays too IIRC,making the GOP look like Grich and Scrooge.....but he didn't did he?

[ejpoeta]

38. you are right. perhaps he felt that it was important that they get that extension.

important enough to give in to terrorists. the trouble with doing that is that they will keep doing it since it works so well. that is how we get where we are now.

[Marr]

42. But if he'd done that, we never would've had this "debt ceiling crisis".

This crap is planned out well in advance. It's like the WWF planning out their wrestling season.

[Joe the Revelator]

9. I have to read right wing bullshit on this board now?

[madfloridian]

12. Obama SAID he put the cuts in the offer.

Sometimes things backfire.

[Luminous Animal]

13. The source is a left wing blog giving us a heads up on how the right wing is going to use

this against Obama and Democratic Party.

[Joe the Revelator]

21. FDL is far....FAR from left wing.

[Luminous Animal]

25. Okey doke.

[EFerrari]

28. LOL

[madfloridian]

11. He left himself wide open for that interpretation.

Now eat your peas.

[merbex]

31. +1 LOL n/t

[JoeyT]

39. +1

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. FUCK 'EM!! They passed a bill that essentially guts Medicare.

They can kiss my black ass with this bullshit fake outrage! They are fucking liars. And shame on DUers who allow their disdain for Obama buy into this bullshit!

[Luminous Animal]

16. Kissing your black ass will not stop the propaganda. Obama put cuts on the table, they will use it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

32. As I said, I think they have been played. PLAYED! I'm not going down this road

with you blaming the WRONG person/people!! Point your finger at the ReTHUGS/Teabaggers! That's it. I have nothing else left.

I know who the real enemies are: THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!

[Luminous Animal]

35. The real enemies are the dissemblers no matter the party. It just so happens that the Republicans

hold the means of broadcasting their dissembling to the widest audience. Meanwhile, we are all getting played for suckers.

[spanone]

18. they just hate the harvard law schooled black guy in the white house

it doesn't matter what topic or proposals he proffers.....

[Luminous Animal]

Perhaps. But Obama, offering to put the social safety net on the table, opened him up for attacks...

disingenuous they may be.

[chalky]

24. Obama, by just being ELECTED, opened himself up for attacks...

disingenuous they may be.

[Luminous Animal]

27. No shit. Apparently, you are missing the point. The very fact that Obama offered cuts

to programs that are gold standards to Democrats and poll as extremely important to the elderly of any political stripe, will now be used against him.

If this takes off (and Erick Erickson has a national cable platform) NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON IN HIS AUDIENCE OR ON HIS EMAIL LIST will care about the Republicans agenda.

Get it? Obama, a Democrat, offered up these cuts. And that is the truth.

[chalky]

36. Oh, right. Like the finger pointing over the bailouts did.

That's done huge damage to him in the polls.

Or not.

Let's just put a pin in your argument, shall we? We can bring it back up when it actually happens.

[larwdem]

19. the gop

The gop will burn him with this it dos not matter what the truth is. If romney gets the nomination he will bet obama in 2012 mark my words

[Luminous Animal]

20. Dude. Grammar and spellcheck.

[chalky]

22. I love the secondary message in that note: Your kids are brain dead cult members.

n/t

[texshelters]

29. JUst like the rethugs to

be for cuts until it becomes a reality and then suddenly pretend they were against them all the time.

They are all liars.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Luminous Animal]

34. And who, in 2007-2008, promised not to cut SS but put them on the table in 2011?

"< Republican presidential candidate John McCain's > campaign has...suggest that the best answer to the growing pressures on Social Security might be to cut cost-of-living adjustments or raise the retirement age. I will not do either."

"I do not want to cut benefits or raise the retirement age. I believe there are a number of ways we can make Social Security solvent that do not involve placing these added burdens on our seniors."

"The best way forward is to first look to adjust the cap on the payroll tax. .. Ninety-seven percent of Americans will see absolutely no change in their taxes under my proposal. ... What it does allow us to do is to extend the life of Social Security without cutting benefits or raising the retirement age."

http://strengthensocialsecurity.org/keepthepromise

[me b zola]

33. Thats some kind of Kung Fu

...that reaches around and makes you kick your own ass

[eridani]

40. I hope everyone has sent this to all their officers in their local Dem parties

[Bluebear]

43. The campaign ads are going be just that next year.

Obama wants to take away your benefits!

Stupid move to have ever, ever offered this up.

[ohheckyeah]

44. Obama walked right into that trap.

What was he thinking?