From ThinkProgress.org, very good news on a late Friday news dump.
REPORTER: In your view, if this debt limit deal includes any changes in Social Security, are you convinced that that will not be able to pass the Senate?
SANDERS: Again, it’s hard for us to talk about 99 other people. But I think there really is a disconnect, and I think Sheldon made this point when he was speaking, between what the White House is doing and rest of the Senate. What I can say is that I have heard, including from people that you might not expect to hear it from, that if they bring from the Senate a piece of crap which really comes down heavy on working families, and the elderly, and the sick, and the children, and they expect me to matter of factly vote for it, they have another thing coming. So I think the White House is for a serious surprise if they think everybody in the Democratic caucus is going to willy nilly follow the President and vote for anything he brings forth.
More below the fold
"Piece of crap" is very strong language from Senator Sanders, but it fits the bill. As of now, this deal is already a piece of crap. Making the pot sweeter for GOP hostage takers is just going to make it worse, and with 60% of the public AGAINST any Social Security cuts, it would be idiotic politics. Worse yet, it would further cripple our already struggling working class.
This morning, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) hosted a press call with reporters about their opposition to including Social Security and Medicare in debt ceiling negotiations. ThinkProgress asked Sanders if he thinks including regressive cuts to these programs in a debt ceiling deal would hurt Obama politically and what tactics he would be willing to use to stop such a deal. He said that including such cuts would “obviously” hurt President Obama in the next election and that he would do “everything” that he can to defeat such a package.
ThinkProgress.org
Gods bless Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse, two of my top 5 current Senators (the others being Al Franken, Sherrod Brown and Barbara Boxer)
So it has come to this. It is going to take an independent socialist to save Obama from himself. The bipartisanship fetish in the White House has become insane. If they want to lose 60% of the voters, it appears we need to hope like hell that Bernie Sanders can stop them.
Because I stand with Bernie Sanders. This Balrog of a piece of crap deal shall not pass.
I just hope it doesn't pull us all down into the chasm with us.
Peace and love to all
MoT
You can follow me on teh Twitter machine @JesseLaGreca