Sanders to Obama: Don't Touch Social Security
Sen. Bernie Sanders at a markup meeting of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, 03/21/13. (photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
05 April 13
ndependent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of Congress's most liberal members, is warning President Barack Obama not to "go back on his word" by offering to cut Social Security spending to reduce the deficit.
"Millions of working people, seniors, disabled
veterans, those who have lost a loved one in combat, and women will be
extremely disappointed if President Obama caves into the long standing
Republican effort to cut Social Security and benefits for disabled
veterans and their survivors through a so-called chained CPI," he said in a statement.
Sanders has been waging a campaign opposing the use of
chained CPI, which would mean lower annual cost-of-living increases for
Social Security benefits and veterans, and reduce help to the poor.
Making the change would cut federal spending by roughly $130 billion
over 10 years. But it would also adjust how taxes are calculated,
generating about $100 billion in new revenue over the same period.
Obama will include it in his budget,
to be unveiled April 10. Federal budgets are not like family budgets -
they're non-binding spending roadmaps that serve chiefly as statements
of political priorities and punching bags for political opponents. Even
if Obama's budget passes both Houses (it won't), and he signs it into
law, it's unlikely to have much impact on how Congress decides to spend
federal dollars.
That's not to say that it's a wholly useless bit of
theater. Washington has been at war over how best to reduce deficits and
rein in the country's galloping debt. The budget says, in effect, what
Obama might be willing to do to achieve those goals, which in turn puts
pressure on congressional Democrats to fall in line.
Obama's support for that longstanding Republican
wish-list item is not really a surprise. It's been a part of each of his
"grand bargain" offers to the GOP for cutting the deficit. White House
press secretary Jay Carney had said in his April 1 daily briefing that
the proposal "remains on the table."
But Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, recalled that candidate Obama promised Americans in
2008 that he would not cut Social Security.
"Having him go back on his word will only add to the
rampant political cynicism that our country is experiencing today," the
senator said.
How far would Sanders be willing to go to block
chained CPI? His statement did not say, but in December 2010 Sanders won
a lot of attention and liberal admiration for an 8.5-hour filibuster
(quickly dubbed FiliBernie) against Obama's tax deal with Republicans.
"If Obama is serious about dealing with our deficit he
would not cut Social Security," Sanders said. "Instead, he would
support legislation that ends the absurdity of one out of four
profitable corporations paying nothing in federal income taxes."
The lawmaker added, "He would also help us close the
offshore tax haven loopholes that enable large corporations and the
wealthy to avoid paying $100 billion a year in federal taxes."
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Hell, Bernie. What HASEN'T Obama lied about? It's a pretty short list. In his own way, this President has been nearly as big a failure as Dubya. And that's saying something.
Obama the Wimp
Obama the Wimp
Obama the Wimp has been taking advice from Bushie, ever since Bushie left the White House.
It all comes down to Bushie is still running things and Obama the Wimp is saying yesaa masser whatever you say.