Leave to the geniuses in DC to take a good thing — nobody saw this shit coming, of course —
Democrats have used a clear and potent attack against Republicans in recent elections: Don’t vote for them because they’ll cut your Social Security and Medicare.
And fuck it up:
But using that playbook next year, as Democrats had planned, just got a lot more complicated.
President Barack Obama blurred the lines this month when he embraced entitlement cuts of his own as part of his budget plan. And Democrats now fear their leader’s tack to the center could blunt one of their sharpest weapons in the battle for the House of Representatives next year.
The concern is that Republicans will have a ready retort — your own president proposed entitlement cuts — and force Democrats on the defensive. The issue is critical to senior voters, who turn out in disproportionately large numbers in midterm elections.
Wow! And what did we gain? Nothing. But. Trouble.
And all of us "Social Security concern trolls" were just whining and running around screaming "Oh Noes! OMG!" You know, like that cute little .GIF animation floating around the internet.
And yet, somebody in DC seems to realize what an idiotic thing it was to put Chained CPI on the table, after all:
“I think it does make it more difficult for Democrats in the next election,” said Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan, who occupies a swing district in Minnesota. “I would think that Republicans will say this cycle that if you want your Medicare and Social Security cut, that’s what Obama wants to do. … And I imagine that’s what Republicans will campaign on.”
And Anonymous DC Person agrees:
“It is highly problematic,” said one Democratic pollster and veteran of congressional races, who requested anonymity because he didn’t want to be seen as picking a fight with the White House. “There is no question the entitlement debate makes for an easy campaign ad.”
And yet, here we are. Because legacy:
“The White House is more concerned about his legacy,” said Paul Maslin, a longtime Democratic pollster. “It’s the classic dilemma of the second-term incumbent.”
Awesome! What are we supposed to do with the mess his "legacy" securing endeavors leave behind for the Democratic Party?
I guess we can just hope Democrats do the same thing as Republicans are doing with Bush...
La. La. La. It. Never. Happened. La. La. La.
Maybe if we're really lucky, voters won't even notice, except:
“It would suppress Democratic turnout,” “It’s pretty clear people are paying attention to this.” [Chuck Loveless, director of federal government affair for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees]
Meanwhile, I smell something burning. HAIR!!!!
#NoChainedCPI, #NoGrandBargain, #SocialSecurityCuts
.......
Politco Source Article