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Obama Uses Social Security To Tighten Noose Around The GOP’s Neck
The fractured and fragmented GOP is watching the debt ceiling fight blow up in their faces, then like clockwork Obama dropped the Social Security bomb on them.
Here is the video of Obama talking Social Security checks in a CBS Evening News interview:
Obama told Scott Pelley, “I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven’t resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.” The Social Security attack is always effective for Democrats, but this one is a mushroom cloud because of the Republican support for killing Medicare. America’s seniors were already upset with the GOP over Medicare, so imagine what is going to happen if they don’t get their Social Security checks on August 3?
The Republican caucus is fractured. Mitch McConnell is trying to defuse the crisis with an odd little plan that would give Obama the power to raise the debt limit in three phases, but at each phase he would face a non-binding potential 2/3 vote of disapproval in the Congress. John Boehner is “pissed.” Eric Cantor’s private feud with Boehner is inching closer to open warfare, Mitch McConnell has knifed Cantor in the back with his plan, and the topper is the release of secret memo from Cantor that lays out how much of Medicare/Medicaid he is dreaming of cutting.
By getting out ahead of Republicans and sending the message that he wants America’s vets and seniors to get their checks but he can’t guarantee it, Obama is winning the message war. The president has zero incentive to compromise right now. Republicans gambled on a hard line strategy in these negotiations, and it is backfiring.
Instead of backing off, Obama is turning up the heat. The default will appeal to the GOP base, but the leadership knows that this is a disaster waiting to happen. Eric Cantor and others are still waiting for Obama to cave, and that could be a huge mistake. Many House Republicans don’t seem to understand that they are in a position of weakness here.
It was the Republicans who fashioned this debt ceiling noose and placed it around their own necks. What they never counted on was Barack Obama’s willingness to be their hangman.
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48 Responses to Obama Uses Social Security To Tighten Noose Around The GOP’s Neck
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Jared D.
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Lulz
James Lutz
Jul. 18th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Lessen the work week by one or two days a month or maybe even four of as many government offices as possible,thus trimming their pay a bit.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
More and more it’s like a Marx Brothers movie with these people
PMom_GA
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Please don’t insult the Marx Brothers – they were comedic geniuses. GOP – comedic yes, but more in the Keystone Kops mode.
Steve Elliott ~alapoet~
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Congratulations, clueless GOP — you have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Sarah Jones
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
When Boehner is the grown up in your party, you know you’re in deep trouble.
on another note, love the last line. Sort of karmic retribution for some of the racist things I’ve seen re this president.
Imagine their fear right now – Murdoch in hot water, and you know he has stuff on them. If he isn’t able to push their propaganda, their entire argument dies. Already some of the press have started to change their tune ever so slightly – no one wants to be on the wrong side of this if it comes to our shores. COWARDS. Where were they when the damage was being done? Assisting it.
Lisaym314
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
I LOVE this president!! WooHoo!!
Grace Creek
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
This brings to mind the 2008 interview in which Obama said he was fine not letting on how tough he can play.on the court and off, something about not seeing him coming as a strategic advantage. And with Obama, it’s all about the strategy. i also am reminded of what we’ve learned recently about his childhood struggles, being taunted for being different and an outsider.
Our president tough, and he’s a masterful strategist. I am so proud to support him, even if he has not delivered on my highest hopes for policy changes.
Anna McCall-Tanzola
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I absolutely support President Obama and will continue to do so. Highly intelligent, charming man …. smarter than any of Congress or the Senate. Just wish the American public at large were sufficiently intelligent to appreciate him as most of us do! :-)
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Cantors memo needs to be sent to every senior on earth. Those living on SS would have to choose healthcare or food/rent/living.
We MUST remove healthcare for Congress
The Cuban missle crisis here at home. I think the republicans are going to blink and then get eaten by the tea party
Mem
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
I agree with the person who said The Cantor memo should be sent to every senior. You know the tea party republicans will “blame” Obama. It use to be just faux that told lies but main stream media lies by omission or simply by not checking the facts and repeating the lies of faux. Those on the left should bombard right wing twitter users, FB users, etc. with the facts and make sure they do it on right wing blogs as well. They may call you names, get hateful, threaten you but the truth will be out there and it may just plant a seed in some of these empty heads.
F
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Great comment!
Patricia Travis
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Thank you, Mr. President! Next step….don’t pay Congress and divide that money with the SS, Vets, etc.
and see how long it takes for an agreement…….
Priscilla Kohair
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Love it!!! you hit the nail right on the head with that one!! Along with that, have them to have a cut in salary or lose some of their health benefits, then there should be PLENTY of more money to help SS and the VETS!!!!
F
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Great idea!
neil
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I don’t know but has any one else noticed that this tea party thing is an unmitigted disaster.These nut bags gotta go away before they trash this country any more then it already is.
mel in oregon
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
i don’t love obama, i think this article misses the point. obama was elected because americans were sick of the idiotic gw bush. since then, instead of change, we have more of the same as bush. 6 wars we are now in, costing well in excess of $3 trillion, all paid for by the middle & working class since the taxcuts for the wealthy remain in place. american homeowners have lost more than $8 trillion in home equity since the housing bubble burst. and what has obama done to ease the burden of the unemployed or people that have lost nearly everything? nothing, he compromises with idiots boehner, cantor & mcconnell, & his whole cabinet is wallstreet toadies. it’s time for a democrat from the left to run against him. obama is a disgrace to the memory of fdr, truman, ike, jfk & lbj.
Concerned Citizen
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
I couldn’t agree more. There have been many campaing promises that have gone completely by the way side. Everything from the Patriot Act to the healthcare bill. Yes, he got the healthcare bill passed but it is a far cry from socialized healthcare. He hasn’t shut down Gitmo, hasn’t gone after those who ordered torture in war zones and continues to allow the animals to run the zoo. Change I believed in but I won’t be fooled again.
Roberta in MN
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Are you sure you are on the correct site this isn’t a RW site.
Your complaints are way off the mark. Gitmo wasn’t closed because the Republicans and some Blue Dog Dems would fund and allow the prisoners to come on US soil. That was not President Obama’s fault. He never ran on single payer. He said he would do that only if we didn’t already have a system in place. Short memories you people have.
Ivee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
True, that. You can usually figure out the ones who are pretending to be Democrats, wandering around on sites that are not Free Republic, hoping to fool people into thinking that there’s discontent among the Democrats (not including the professional left). They’re not especially subtle.
Dee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
This is sad.
Cathy
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
President Obama is the President of the whole country–and I think he is doing an admirable job. He is working very hard to make our country better for everyone, not just his own party. Considering the problems he inherited and the opposition he has encountered, he is not faltering in the job he was elected to do. Read the other posts here for the true facts regarding his actions.
Dee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Troll-like comment.
Ivee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Six wars? Could you name each of them, please? I only know of two — Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which was started by this president, and the former of which has been winding down for some time. There is a large draw down projected for Afghanistan, too.
Our actions in Libya are not war — and indeed, we have done very little except support NATO. There are no American “boots on the ground” in Libya.
The president’s economic record has been mixed, and might indeed have been better if not for such a recalcitrant, obstinate and destructive group of legislators.
I suspect these are the writings of a conservative masquerading as a disgruntled liberal. But if you’re going to do that, at least try to get your facts straight.
mel in oregon
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
and also obama is a very bad disgrace to the memory of mlk & thurgood marshall who were 2 of the best americans we have ever had.
Dee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
More trolling.
Ivee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Yes, and you’re another one — trying to pretend that there is disgruntlement — and in your case, in the African American community.
Really, you guys have got to polish your game.
Anna McCall-Tanzola
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Good for our President, a true American Statesman & Leader!
Larry
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Mr. President,
You are a wise man. For the first time in my life I am proud of my President. Keep up the great work and we the people will make sure that you get another 4 years with a democratic House and Senate to fix the mess that the other party has created.
CLEO17
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
How can the GOP leaders of this very country want it to go down? That in and of itself should say volumes to you about these leaders. Who is the GOP trying to impress? I don’t know ..with this insane psycho talk that letting us default will not be a big deal? WTH? If they get their way..95% of the population will be in the streets walking aimlessly looking for food or water..while the GOP AND THEIR CORP BUDDIES AND MULTIMILLIONAIRE CLIENTS LIVE THE LIFE. You don’t mind just eating the crumbs they let fall off the table? Because that is basically all they will give you. That is the epitomy of what the GOP thinks of you as a human and I am just flat out shocked that people who are supporting these NATIONAL SERIAL KILLERS OF THIS COUNTRY! YOU ARE ALOLOWING THEM..YOU WHO VOTE REPUBLICAN. So save your breath. Don’t cuss me out and call me a liar crazy liberl. Just know if GOP wins. YOU ME AND 95% of the POPULATION IN THIS COUNTRY LOSES! I KID YOU NOT. AND I SUGGEST YOU NOT KID YOURSELF. If you win..you can have them and their suffering desire for you. I plan to leave this country the day a repub gets in office. Simple as that.
Ivee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Well, if it helps, my 81-year-old mom, who relies on Social Security and has been a little freaked out by the GOP for some time (though, like a lot of little old ladies, she’s hardly an activist) called me today wanting to know who she could call to beg them send her check. My mother — who has never made a politically motivated phone call in her life (unlike me, her daughter). When you get a quiet, elderly lady who doesn’t like to make waves upset enough to start making calls to congresspeople, you have truly awakened a sleeping giant in this country.
Speaking for myself, I cannot imagine voting for a Republican for any position again. Ever.
F
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Amen two times.
Susie
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
When the GOP say again and again that they won’t negotiate, why is the President bothering with them? I certainly hope the Dems realize soon that the GOP have no actual power. I will be royally upset if the DEMS give them any more consessions.
Ivee
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Luckily, then, that the Democrats have not conceded a single thing. President Obama put it all out on the table — a conservative’s dream scenario of spending cuts, including entitlement changes — and the GOP turned it down (as I suspect the president knew they would) because such a “grand bargain” had to include revenue/tax increases. So, now the Democrats are in the position of having given away nothing because the GOP turned it all down, and the GOP — not being able to raise taxes or suggest a “clean” debt ceiling bill without being pilloried by their crazy base — is cornered. They have no “good” way out of the situation that they created for themselves.
So, we’re not really talking “any more concessions” at this point; we’re talking “no” concessions because the GOP walked away from the bargaining table. They’ve also just completely exploded any notion that they’re serious about the deficit.
President Obama and the Democrats set a trap; the GOP fell for it, and now they’re sunk. While they’ll posture for a while yet, it looks like they may have lost this battle big time.
Priscilla Kohair
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Things have never changed from when my grandfather was around (and I am approaching 65 (lets hope I get my medicare it is all I will have for insurance). … but he “always” said when a Republican is in there is always a war and high taxes, THEY are out for the RICH!!! and things STILL HAVE NOT CHANGED!!!!!!!!!!
newmeximan
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Charlie Rose had a conservative economist as a guest last night, and he admitted that the U.S. has a revenue problem, not a spending problem. He pointed out that the increased spending these past 2 years are because Obama, as promised, has included the costs of Afghanistan and Iraq in the budget, and does not use supplemental appropriations like Bush did to hide the price tag.
The revenue problem is because even though the top quintile rate is 35%, it is effectively 19% with the allowable deductions. The revenue problem is not solved by cutting rates to spur growth – that just leads to hoarding. Reagan cut the top quintile rate from 50% to 28% in 1986, and that did not cause growth. Clinton raised the top rate to 42% and the economy boomed. Bush, really Cheney, cut the top rate, and the economy was stagnant for 5 of the 8 years of the administration.
The real problem is that Grover Norquist has too much power and influence in D.C. The GOP is terrified of raising taxes on the wealthy, even if it is not a rate increase, but deduction elimination. All because of how Norquist wrote the pledge that all the good little GOP must sign to get campaign funds from the RNC.
The economist has a path around the pledge, that will allow the GOP to honor the letter of their pledge, and it is to set a limit to the amount of deductions based on your AGI. Those earning less money would be allowed to take more deductions, those earning more would claim less. In that manner, the deductions are not terminated, and the marginal rates are not raised, but the revenue would increase.
The real issue is Grover Norquist and his insistence that the middle class should support the cost of government, and that the wealthy should not. Most of the GOP voters can only dream of living in the class they desire. And that is why they keep voting against their best interests – they have high hopes that will never materialize.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Exactly right. This is a revenue problem.
Larry Michon
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 9:07 am
Instead of fighting over scraps lets go after the real problem. Check this out.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J...
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 9:35 am
He makes good points. The wealthy income goes up the middle class stays flat. WHeres the money?
Keith
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Thank you Mr President!!!
prddem
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 6:48 am
Originally the GOP wanted a big plan and said Obama didn’t have the guts and would continue to “kick the can down the road.” Now, Obama delivers a 4 trillion dollar proposal w/the sacred cows Medicare/Social Sec. on the line and wants to make this the “mother” of all debt limit increases and guess what? The GOP back off (namely McConnell) and says; oh no, we can’t do that!
At every turn, the GOP has shown that they are not interested in the well-being of the country over their hunger to destroy Obama as McConnell (an old Howdy Dudey lookalike) stated immediately after Obama was elected.
I think it’s safe to state that the GOP is in serious danager of imploding.
Pat Spencer
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Our patience are running thin with this administration. They are constantly treating us as if we are children. Why threaten with social security checks. Why not refuse to pay Congress their paychecks? This is a very worrisome administration and hope we can retrieve our American life back in 2 years.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 8:54 am
The president cannot refuse to pay Congress. Thats not within his powers
Why isnt your patience running out with the republicans who want to take your life away to start with?
Anne
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 10:37 am
I have ZERO sympathy for the Congressional Republicans, because they have no one to blame but themselves for the position they find themselves in. From Day One, they have opposed the president on just about every conceivable issue just for the sake of being oppositional. They have made NO secret of the fact that they are doing their best to ensure that he will be a one-term president. They have embraced the nutty Tea Partiers, whom they thought they would be able to co-opt, in the interest of winning elections. Now, they find themselves trapped between doing what they KNOW is the rational, responsible thing in raising the debt ceiling and catering to the loud-mouthed Know Nothings in their party, AKA the Tea Partiers. All it does is to make them look more and more foolish, and it is causing the dirty laundry of division within their party to be exposed for all to see.
F
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
President Obama is always underestimated by the GOP and his own base. He’s a serious man who literally wants the best for this country. In the end, his strategy will win.
JLBC
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
I am a lifelong registered Democrat (and it’s been a long life), but I find this fawning over Obama and your inability to deal with in-party or out-of-party disagreements as bad as the commentators on Libertarian sites. This appears to be a closed club that I hope never to be a member of.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Best of luck to you