From Talking Points Memo
The key dilemma facing President Obama and Congressional Democrats is that Republicans are wholly unwilling to support any new job-creating spending projects -- even projects with bipartisan support -- unless they're offset with spending cuts or savings elsewhere in the budget.
There is more than one way to find more funds for much needed stimulus and job creation programs.
You can cut spending or raise taxes.
It seems the Democrats have decided which route they are going to take:
All of us would like to set as a target for ourselves even more than $1.5 trillion," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who's also the top House Democrat on the Budget Committee, told reporters at a Tuesday Capitol press conference
But Committee member Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) goes even further:
[the Congressman]agrees with Van Hollen, and says he'd be willing to put key progressive programs on the table
emphasis mine
"Key Progressive programs" I.e Social Security and Medicare.
They say this under the auspice of making room for new job creation measures. But CUTS DON'T CREATE JOBS. There is no magic deficit fairy that will wave her wand and put 14 million unemployed Americans back to work once the deficit is gone. It is never going to happen. And our the Dems on the committee know that...
"It's incumbent upon the Congress and the government not to make things worse," Becerra said. "I'm looking at the last six months and I'm not seeing how job growth has come from some of this cutting of services, but again I'll be open to it so long as...there's proof that the proposal will lead to job growth and deficit reduction."
.... and go along with the cuts anyway.
No mention of increased taxes on the rich. Just cuts for the poor and working class. The new Democratic Party norm.
In the off chance that your blood is not boiling from this news, again from TPM:
"Both Becerra and Van Hollen want new sources of tax revenue to be part of the mix as well. But Republicans won't accept that lying down ". Republicans fight foe what they believe. They fight so hard that they are willing to cut hugely popular programs (SS & Medicare) and stop hugely popular tax hikes on the rich by default. This story will pass with little more than a wimpier. The Dems telegraph that they are going to roll over, and the Republicans move farther right.
The Republicans will demand that we give up something else next. It will be a Job creation measure, or a program for the poor. They will demand it in exchange for the bills passage. We will give it to them in a so called "compromise", and some on this site will say, "Look how Obama played the GOP! He is the best.president.ever."
That is what we have come to with the current crop of Democratic leadership.