Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Preemption

I have two pieces of news for the Obama administration, which seems to think that they need to propose Social Security cuts in the State of the Union in "to pre-empt an even more draconian set of budget cuts likely to be proposed by the incoming House Budget Committee chairman, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), as a condition of extending the debt ceiling."
  • In the past election, Republicans ran about $500 million worth of ads attacking Democrats for cutting Medicare.
  • The President has a much more direct way of preempting Ryan's hypothetical cuts. He can veto them.
Sigh.

5 comments:

Blue said...

Overton Window Fail.

Other than my anger at "programs for people who always vote, never get cut", I really cannot describe much this seems like a bad idea.

1) Obama, your last 2 years should have proved that no one in the media actually cares about long term deficit avoidance.
2) Nothing is going to stop the Republicans from talking about and proposing draconian cuts.
3) Way to shit on people who supported you.
4) Get out of the legislative process, there's no role for a polarizing President there right now (other than vetos, or giving cover to tax cuts the other side wants to pass).

I think the White House just really has no grasp of what it wants to do for the next 2 years.

yoyo said...

I think the white house is in favor of their proposals.

wsn said...

The cynic in me thinks they are putting this out so lefty types get so pissed off about this that when in the SOTU a bunch of water-treading stuff is announced we will be happy because a Dem president isn't actively harming social security.

janinsanfran said...

Political FAIL. How have they lost their touch so badly?

The erosion is slow (because the alternative is so awful) but they are gradually wringing out the last bit of enthusiasm among their base as Obama's recent declining approval among liberal Dems is beginning to show. Gallup.

low-tech cyclist said...

"The President has a much more direct way of preempting Ryan's hypothetical cuts. He can veto them."

True, but that description is a MASSIVE sin of omission.

We all know where and how the GOP will try to ensure that cuts such as this leap from the hypothetical to the real: at one of the GOP's upcoming hostage moments - the first week of March, when the continuing resolution expires, and seven or eight weeks later, as the government runs into the debt limit.

Sure, Obama can veto any deal made by others to keep the government intact and running, but it's not the free move that a Presidential veto usually is.