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Subscribe to RSSOf the White House meeting with congressional leaders on the debt, AP writes, “Yesterday’s meeting came amid signals that the White House was willing to reduce costs for major benefit programs including Social Security and Medicare, while Republicans indicated they might consider new steps to raise government revenue.” And on some of the details: “While discussions on trimming the costs of entitlement programs had centered on Medicare, the health care program for older Americans, the White House is revisiting a proposal raised earlier in the negotiations to change the inflation measurement used to calculate Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, thus reducing annual increases, officials said yesterday.”
The New York Times: “Though the president and Congressional leaders did not close wide gaps on the issues of spending cuts or new tax revenues, officials briefed on the talks said, they emerged with a consensus to aim for the biggest possible deal — one resulting in up to $4 trillion in savings — and a recognition of the dire consequences of not acting before Aug. 2, when the government will lose its authority to borrow.”
Adds the Wall Street Journal: Such a deal would have to overcome many hurdles to pass a divided Congress in time to clear the way for a vote to raise the government's $14.29 trillion borrowing limit before Aug. 2. Treasury Department officials say that without a higher debt ceiling the government will begin to default on its obligations, including debt payments.
Obama adviser David Plouffe: “The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,” he said, according to Bloomberg, via The Hill. “People won’t vote based on the unemployment rate, they’re going to vote based on: ‘How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?’ ”
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So now it's the Obama administration that is attacking Medicare. So now it's Obama's turn to throw Grandma over the cliff??
Is it that Rep. Ryan's plan has some merit after all?? Maybe Ryan should be in the 2012 race as well.
How is it that the Dept of education and the Dept of Energy, and the Dept of the Interior, the DEA, the NSA, The FBI, etc., are never even mentioned in budget talks??
Edward,
This Administration wants to strengthen and secure Medicare over the long haul, so it's looking at ways to be more efficient with structure and costs and reduce them where possible. Common sense.
There's no plan as you imply "to attack", reduce/cut benefits to Medicare recipients.
fyi, Ryan's plan ends Medicare as we know it.
After todays employment numbers it's obvious that we are still in the throws of this recession. With that in mind any discussions these leaders have including the president that further reduce spending into the economy will only deepen this recession and possibly push us into a recession. It's only logical as indicated by the fact that 39,000 jobs lost were in the public sector pushing the created jobs to just 18,000. You can't continue to cut, cut, cut and expect to see demand rise in the economy. The Republicans are aware of this fact but are pushing for deep cuts knowing full well it will tank the economy and they hope to ride into the White House and sweep the Senate because of this. It's a brilliant strategy on their part and it looks like they will succeed. Too bad the American people don't see what's about to happen to them. We are going to lose guaranteed benefits in Social Security and Medicare and probably permanently lower our standard of living because these jobs will never come back in any meaningful way especially if Republicans remain in control.
What makes me angry, Pres. Obama had his chance to get the economy going when he had the majority in the house and senate. He could have been a little more left leaning than to be a moderate. This has gotten him nowhere. He should have been a little more like Bush and used his political capitol. Instead of pushing Health Care, he should have been pushing the economy and we would not have been in this mess now. He could have been a little tougher on the Party of No back two years ago.
You people are clueless. Its the left leaning policies that got us in to this trouble (Clinton Housing loan policies). It's funny how the unemployment numbers where released today, and still no story on this communist MSN site. Just because it might make Obama look bad. Its just disgusting!!!!
Realhope - It's scary how clueless you are. You cannot see the forest for the tree.
JoAnn Moundsville, WV
You might as well say, if more Democrats had turned out in 2010 we could have given President Obama the political support he needed. Instead, Washington D.C. has turned into a partisan battlefield. They spend all their energy fighting each other for political points and ignoring what could be done to for the good of the country.
(PS don't blame Maine, we returned two Democrats to the House by wide margins, althought the state positions went to Republicans, who are busy right now screwing up.)
So true Amy. Only 37% of the total voters turned out. Of that 37% was mostly Republicans. Hope, we will have a mush larger total, that will re-elect the President and take back the house. Afterwards, we can work on getting rid of the Republican Governors.
This article states that the White House, (that means Obama), is recomending cuts in Medicare and Social Security.
Does that mean Obama wants to throw Grandma over the cliff after feeding her some dogfood??
Where is the outrage from the left?? Hello??
Not so worried that Obama is going to destroy Social Security and Medicare as I am that he would allow the your Tea Bag Pals too! Obama needs to stop dancing with the devil and start dancing with the ones that brung him!
They seem to be in on the secret, Edward.
Obama is only proposing to fool around with the inflation date, in order to reduce COLAs in the future.
Perhaps. Maybe.
It amounts to nothing, but he can say he "compromised".
What colas? Us oldsters haven't had one in 2 years, and none forthcoming next year. Obama has to be nice to all of the illegal immigrants and their yearly anchor babies. And don't forget Auntie Zetunie who told immigration to go take a flying ****.
Ed's been taking lessons from nojo. How to be clueless and deny facts in 3 easy lessons. .
'communist' MSN site?
What a dick.
So glad the prez and congress are optimistic. Unemployment at 9.2%, inflated food and gas prices, massive foreclosures, 2 costly wars, staggering deficit, good jobs replaced with bad jobs, stagnant wages, Americans hurting all over - yep, I'm real optimistic. Unlike most of our leadership, I have to worry about how I'm going to pay bills, especially luxuries like rent, utilities and getting my '84 Toyota fixed. I have a job / I work hard / I make little money with meager benefits. I'm in the middle of the herd of lost Americans....
Jeff the republicans will tell you "if you don't like your job hell just start your own business this is America you can be rich if you really want to be". It is a damn shame what is happening to young people like you, shame on us for worshiping billionaires and letting our children wither on the vine. Shame on us.
Hey, did Eric Cantor really say 'I'm ok with closing tax loopholes, but only if there is a corresponding tax reduction' or something to that effect?
It's like "yes, honey- I'll go to the store and pick up milk and bread for you, but I won't pick up milk and bread for you".
Why do these cretins hate the American People? (well, at least the ones with smaller bank accounts....)
I am on a diet DBO I'm giving up donuts but only if they are replaced with cupcakes!
LMBO! that is just what they are saying!
Exactly, what would tax loopholes mean if you lower the tax rate. I don't have a college degree but I know a wash when I hear it. I think they are trying to comfort their base by trying to say it's not a tax increase. What a bunch of @#$@##. They need to do agree with what is in the best interest of the country.
the unamerican party, repubs, are spreading their lies again and again and again.
keep your hands off my SS and medicare! both parties!!!!
Kr,
Isn't it the White House, (that would be Mr. Obama), who is advocating cutting Social Security and Medicare??
Isn't that the DEMOCRATIC party?? (you know...the party that will soon cease to exist)
Just a tad disingenuous there Eddie? The Tea Bags Golden Boy, Eric Cantor, has already set the table for getting rid of medicare. Yeah, you know if you guys don't do it my way I'm going to take my ball and go home Eric Cantor. Sorry our memories are not that short. What part of "both parties" don't you understand?
I don't know what SSecurity will do for me, because I'll have to work until I'm dead. But, if all those who paid into it and expect a return then it's not an entitlement. It is an investment. I voted for Ronald Regan because I was naive and thought he was honest about our prosperity. But now I'm still worried about my children's future; they are adults now and have their own families. If he were able to ask me the same question: "are you better off now than you were before" I would say hell no because as I am entering into my "golden years" I am more worried now about my children's and now my grandchildren's futures than I was when children were first born. What a terrible feeling.
I would say he is more delusional than disingenuous, but, they both describe eddie and others of his ilk.
One poster related their observation that the Republicans were aggressively resisting doing anything productive, that major corporations were actually hoarding their capital and that Special Interests and the influential and powerful few were constantly spreading their negative propaganda, with all of those efforts being aimed at seeing the economy continue to have substantial problems and for the Democrats to fail ... so that the Republicans could win in 2012 and return to a Bush-Cheney style governance with once again having the concentration being on benefit only for the few. The poster felt that was sufficient reason for the people to give in and to go along with the manipulation and con, as if anything else was just hopeless. The poster obviously had confidence in the “trickle down” theory, literally forgetting that Bush-Cheney proved it to be a total fraud. What the poster seemed to totally ignore was that once allowing that deception to succeed then the “die would be cast” for all times and the con and manipulation would be further encouraged ... besides then having accepted further decline and neglect for the majority, including the total middle-class. We have already seen the Republicans become greatly emboldened, arrogant and stubborn after their successes with manipulating the Christian block (2000), the Swift-boat propaganda (2004) and the Tea Party extremes (2010) all creatively just playing people’s emotions. There really is nothing to be gained for the majority by “giving in” to their manipulation and con.
Noooooooooo, No lets make a deal! Do not make a deal, do not cave Mr. President.
Oh, he will. Just wait.
Obama is easy to read and to predict. He will weigh every action and every statement on the balance scale of votes. He dosen't care about the economy, or jobs, or the debt ceiling. He only cares about appearances. and how those appearances will get him votes.
Watch him and Moochelle slip away on another exotic vacation as soon as possible.
Before the 2010 elections the Republicans said that business would not create jobs because Obama was going to raise their taxes. Therefore they were not going to do anything until they were sure. On this same vine I heard many people state those same talking points. So the Bush tax cuts have been extended six months already and low and behold, where in the F**(( are the jobs? so it's Obamas fault for compromising on that deal. So now that they have tied up every type of legislation in some kind of nonsense filibuster that could get this economy growing in the right direction, they want to say see, we told you "HE" is not working for you but "WE" want whats best for the american people, "This is what the american people want" !
What friggin people are they talking about because they darn sure didn't talk to me! I said no such thing! did they talk to you? OH I forgot coporations are people too! that must be the american people they are talking about, and those corporation people are not creating any jobs either, It seems more like they are cutting jobs and pocketing investor money. Wow
Commonsense,
Just listened to a small businessman from Michigan explain his view on the hiring picture. It seems that businesses have the money right now to hire. His opinion was that the uncertainty about future taxes, cap and trade, Obamacare costs, and energy costs, not to mention the new array of regulations, have the average business operating in the extreme- caution mode.
Their first mission is simply to survive, and stay in business.