Discussion for article #232148
Let’s hope that Obama and the rest of the Congressional Dems are smart enough to follow Brown’s lead. If they don’t, and they accede to Republican wishes to make cuts to the program, all it will do is absolutely 100% guarantee that when 2016 comes around, the GOP will be attacking the Democratic Party for cutting Social Security.
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The Democrats should adopt one simple, easily-understood position on Social Security, then stick to it like superglue: the solution to the problem is to raise the income cap on FICA. Period. There’s no need to cut benefits, or to tinker with things like “chained CPI,” which is based on an assumption that’s utterly faulty when it comes to retired people.
Point out to the voters that billionaires currently pay the same FICA as someone earning $120k a year. They’ll “get” that.
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But but but bi-patisanship and all that happy horseshit!
Seriously, Good for him, hopefully he’s right about Obama.
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You’re obviously subject to the common Democratic delusion that Democrats can control the content of Republican and the Plutocrat 501© commercials by voting in certain ways.
Republican commercials are dictated by how Republicans vote. Whatever they do that’s unpopular, they claim Democrats did. And all Democrats are “anti-Second Amendment” no matter how they vote because Ted Kennedy/Clinton/Michael Moore/Obama/Clinton.
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I work with Payroll software, it blows me away that there are so many people out there who DON’T EVEN KNOW that there IS a limit. Some of them are payroll professionals.
I think that your suggestion would go a long way to educating people as well as focusing the Democrats.
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When backed to the edge of a precipice, and your opponent wants you to backup a foot, it’s best not to seek a compromise.
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You know who knows there’s a limit? People who earn enough to reap the benefit. Everyone else, not so much.
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“Senator? You can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.”
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I think you’re right that that’s one of the biggest problems they’ve got.
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Even if the Dems do want to fight the Repubs (and that’s not a guarantee), they’re afraid of their message being sabotaged by the Repubs and end up explaining away issues that eventually get them nothing.
For example, I can see certain Dems being afraid to take on the Repubs on SS Disability because a lot of Americans believe that the program is being abused. They have absolutely NO proof on it other than the endless series of “Dateline” type exposes that aid in convincing people of this lie. But because Dems don’t have an effective strategy of messaging, they end up partially agreeing with Repubs, then trying to get their own argument across and by that time, the Repubs have convinced people that Dems agree with them and it’s a bipartisan idea to get rid of the program. OR, Dems try to argue against what is put forward as “common sense” fraud prevention and end up allowing themselves to be painted as the party that supports fraud.
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the point is not to control what Republican commercials say; the point is that there is no reward for compromise on this matter, in fact quite the opposite. I sure hope Democrats remember the 2012 election where Rmoney and Republicans made an issue out of the hundreds of millions of “cuts” to Medicare made by ACA, as if the GOP wouldn’t destroy the program in favor of vouchers in two minutes flat if they had the chance.
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They shouldn’t do it, but not because it will give Republicans an opening for campaign messaging, but because it’s bad policy. You’re correct that there’s no reward for compromise, but that’s just the opposite, and far more important side of the delusion I mentioned. There is no reward for succumbing to their manufactured hostage crises in the name of “compromise” and 'bipartisanship" and the punishment will come, in the form of scary negative ads, no matter what you do, so you might as well do the right thing.
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This is why Pres. Obama leaked his tax proposals from the upcoming SOTU. It’s “Grand Bargain” time again and once again,GOPs will say no.
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Absolutely. This situation is a little different that other "fights for SS’ in that there are a lot of elderly who also believe that the disability program is just a program for people who scam the system. It’s gonna happen and Dems need to get out in front of this and NOT try to appear to “understand” what the OP is putting forth.
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Good policy is good politics longterm.
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You would have thought the few remaining Blue Dogs would have learned this lesson in the last election. Trying to act more conservative that Republicans will get you a ticket home.
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Start the battle now. Democrats need to teach the rich media types just who is on disability, why and how hard it is to get. Having spent a few years working social security cases I can tell you that if anything the system errs on the side of not finding disability. There are very few true frauds on disability.
The Democrats need to start a media campaign now.
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A white paper investigation would reveal that almost all the frauds are white conservatives who rant against welfare.
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“You’re obviously subject to the common Democratic delusion…”
I’m not subject to any such delusion. I know damn well that Republicans can and will make all sorts of ridiculous claims completely independent of factual reality. However, if Republicans can point to actual Democratic votes in favor of cuts, it will give their assertions far more weight with susceptible voters than would a resolute Democratic leadership and rank-and-file stance against the kinds of cuts the GOP wants to make.
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Perzactly. A policy of zero compromise will present a much cleaner and simpler position for the Democratic contenders to present to voters. Keep it “yes or no” with no quibbles for the GOP to exploit.
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