Calling for chained-CPI may rank right up there with McCain picking Sarah Palin as one of the worst political blunders in modern political history. It may very well define the Obama presidency as a failed presidency. But this idea that Obama is a secret Republican, or is in the pockets of wall street, or has the same goals as the Republicans, is as crazy as senior tea baggers standing up and yelling keep the governments hands off our Social Security!
So let's look at some of the other parts of Obama's budget proposals, and see if Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell would have proposed something similar.
From ThinkProgress
The Obama budget replaces the automatic budget cuts — sequestration — that went into effect on March 1 with a total of $1.8 trillion in deficit reduction achieved through a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases, and it also includes many of the administration’s priorities, including stimulative investments, funding for a universal preschool program, and an increase in the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour.
I think people here, FAR, FAR, underestimate the damage this sequester is doing to our future! The cuts is science and ALT-E research (think Global Warming) are enough that something has to be done. Let's face it, if we don't do something about Global Warming real fast, it's isn't going to make a damn bit of difference whether Social Security is cut by 3% or 5% or 10%! The suffering of seniors and everybody else will be far greater than economic.
Spending cuts: The budget cuts $200 billion from discretionary spending, balanced evenly between defense and domestic programs. It also includes $200 billion in cuts from mandatory spending by reducing farm subsidies and reforming federal retiree benefit programs. It also achieves $210 billion in savings from reduced interest payments on the debt and $400 billion in health savings aimed at cutting waste and fraud and strengthening Medicare.
An attack on corporate farm subsidies, and specific attacks on the fraud in Medicare (how many of those motorized scooter commercials have you seen lately). And much of this will come from the Medicare pharmaceutical welfare program the Republicans set up under Bush!
The budget seeks $580 billion in new revenues through the closure of tax loopholes — including oil and gas subsidies and tax credits that benefit companies who shift jobs overseas — and by limiting deductions for wealthy taxpayers. It also closes loopholes Obama has targeted before, including the corporate jet loophole and one that benefits wealthy hedge fund managers.
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The budget includes a modest amount of stimulative investments, many of which were derived from Obama’s American Jobs Act that the GOP blocked in 2011. It has $50 billion in infrastructure investments, $1 billion to launch manufacturing innovation programs, and increases for research and design
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Following up on a promise made in his State of the Union address, Obama’s budget includes funding to expand preschool programs to low-income children. The program, funded by increased tobacco taxes, would help expand preschool enrollment among four-year-olds by partnering with states to subsidize preschool for children
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Does THAT sound like Republican Lite?! Of course not!
We can criticize Obama for making a horrendous political and economic mistake, which I attribute to him being surrounded by some pretty piss poor advisers and him not making a big enough effort to find out what the country is really thinking.
But to conclude he's doing the bidding of the Republican party, and that all Democrats are just in the pockets of the corporatists is just plain crazy!
I'm getting a little concerned that DailyKos is morphing into some kind of left's version of the Tea Party, where the goal of electing GOOD Democrats and building a truly progressive Democratic party will be abandoned for some crazy talk of 3rd parties and Ralph Nader type saviors! This cost us dearly in 1968 and 2000.
So Obama and the Dems need a kick in the Ass at times, and this is one of those times, and the promise of a progressive primary opponent is a good start, but the talk of abandonment and letting the Republicans take control again, is just plain crazy.