Both the president's men.
According to
Roll Call, quoting a senior administration official,
here is the defense of the president's attack on Social Security:
“While this is not the president’s ideal deficit reduction plan, and there are particular proposals in this plan ... that were key Republican requests and not the president’s preferred approach, this is a compromise proposal built on common ground and the president felt it was important to make it clear that the offer still stands,” the official said. “The president has made clear that he is willing to compromise and do tough things to reduce the deficit, but only in the context of a package like this one that has balance and includes revenues from the wealthiest Americans and that is designed to promote economic growth.”
Is this the kind of thinking going on in the White House? If it is, no wait ... it is. This is the M.C. Escher logic going on among the White House staff folks. You can actually walk into the front door of the West Wing and find yourself walking out of the front door of the West Wing at the same time.
The White House is essentially saying they found common ground without ever having to sit down and you know, find common ground. They just imagined what common ground would look like and then wrote it down.
Republicans decided to pass what they wanted. Based on their ideal plan. The latest Ryan budget has no tax increases, draconian spending cuts, and big cuts to entitlements, sans Social Security (smart!). They offered President Obama zilch. Even threw in a repeal ObamaCare as big middle finger to start things off.
The White House responds to this by proposing not what they say they want, but what they think Republicans want. No ... even worse, they proposed a budget they don't even like. And even threw in some shit Republicans never asked for. And their defense of this ridiculous position is:
The president has made clear that he is willing to compromise.
This fuckery naturally drew a Republican
Goodfellas response.
Look, its time to end this ridiculous charade. The White House is proposing what's in the White House budget because that's what the White House wants. They'll fight just as hard to cut Social Security as they will for any of its other provisions. And that's because the White House, let's just face facts, just isn't on the side of the American people. They need to just come out and speak with conviction: They don't give a shit about Social Security or anybody who is on it because they want a balanced budget with low taxes. That's the only explanation for passing another $3.4 trillion round of Bush Tax Cuts while cutting Social Security.
You know whose side they're really on? Those two rich fucks in the picture.