Next year's class warfare battle plan - cuts to Social Security and Medicare

[Raksha]

Well, I guess we all knew this was coming. First comes the propaganda war, of course: Boehner and his henchmen are going to spend the next year lying about the "crisis" in Social Security and Medicare, aided and abetted by the president. At least we've been warned.

Boehner: We Will Cut Social Security, Medicare
'Most Americans don't have a clue' about the problem, says Speaker

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff
Posted Mar 4, 2011 7:58 AM CST

(NEWSER) John Boehner wants cuts to Security and Medicare in next year's fiscal budget, even if voters may not like it, he tells the Wall Street Journal in an interview. “Most Americans don't have a clue” about “how big the problem is,” and it’s time for Washington to explain it, he says, noting that he would “lock arms” with President Obama to discuss the issue with voters. Obama has responded “positively” to the idea, Boehner adds. "Once they understand how big the problem is, I think people will be more receptive to what the possible solutions may be," says Boehner.

Less than a quarter of Americans back major cuts to the programs, a poll this week said. Meanwhile, the House speaker expresses firm support for raising the debt ceiling—a measure unpopular among conservative House Republicans. “If we were to fail to increase the debt limit, we would send our economy into a tailspin,” he says. As for the current budget battle, Boehner notes that he’s “optimistic” about cutting spending and avoiding a shutdown. “We can do this in two weeks. I'm a glass-half-full guy,” he says.

Click through for more on Boehner's interview.

http://www.newser.com/story/113367/house-speaker-john-boehner-lets-cut-social-security-medicare.html

[BonnieJW]

1. I always thought of Boner as a half-assed kind of guy.

[Autumn]

2. These people are just crazy enough

to push it through. They don't care what the people want.

[Raksha]

3. I just read the WSJ article at the link.

It's very unclear to me what (if any) role Obama is going to be playing in the plan to "discuss the issue with voters." All we have is Boner's say-so that Obama is on board with SS and Medicare cuts. Nothing as yet from Obama himmself. From the WSJ article:

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll this week showed less than a quarter of Americans support making significant cuts to Social Security or Medicare to tackle the government's financial woes. But a majority supported reducing benefits for wealthier retirees and raising the Social Security retirement age.

Mr. Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he told President Barack Obama that he would take the political plunge alongside him if the president announced his own willingness to tackle changes to those programs.

"I offered to the president we could lock arms and walk out and begin the conversation about the size of the problem," Mr. Boehner said, adding that Mr. Obama responded "positively."

But he also took aim at Mr. Obama for not proposing a plan to overhaul the programs. "I think the president shrank from his responsibility to lead," Mr. Boehner said. "He knows the numbers as well as we do.
The White House declined to respond, but Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.) said tackling big problems would be tougher if the two sides criticized each other. "It's impossible if the process begins with the parties attacking each other, and I think Speaker Boehner ought to reconsider that tone and that message," he said.

<snip>

Sounds like Boner wants Obama to come up with a plan and then take the political heat for it--in other words, the Repukes want him to commit political suicide. They get their cuts and he gets the shitstorm. I wish I could say, "Do they really think Obama is THAT stupid?" except that he has obliged them on similar issues in the past, to everyone's shock and horror. Like with the extension of the Bush tax cuts.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703752404576178910828355914.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories