In yesterday's brief press announcement following the Debt Ceiling/Defiicti talks, President Obama described what he and Congressional leaders discussed during the talks. There were many diaires following reports in the New York Times and Washington Post that Medicare and Social Security cuts were on the table, stirring up grave concern among Progressives and just regular Americans.
The President talked about finding common ground, as usual, that everyone needed to show their bottom line in starting off the talks, and stated that both parties acknowledged there would be political pain involved on both sides (which I find hard to believe that anyone but Democrats will feel any pain but that's another matter). He stated that everybody acknowledged that the issue of the debt and deficit had to be tackled now, and it had to be done before the hard deadline of August 2nd so that the US does not default on its debt.
Okay, so these are important issues and have been receiving vast amounts of coverage since the Republicans successfully tied raising the debt ceiling to getting their trillions of pound of flesh in spending cuts. That horse has left the barn and while cutting the deficit is not crucial to be done by August 2nd, the debt ceiling must be raised by then and President Obama has let himself be painted into that corner, just as unemployment benefits extensions were held hostage to tax cuts for the rich back in December '10. I have learned to live with this negotating strategy and I think I speak for many others who are resigned to this.
But here is something that was said at the tail end of the press briefing that caught my ear but didn't get much airplay, and it fills with extreme trepidation:
Our biggest obligation is to make sure we're doing the right thing by the American people - creating an environment in which we can grow the economy and make sure that more and more people are being put back to work.
This is the descent into right-wing talking point land. Which of the results of these talks are supposed to 'grow the economy' and put people back to work? Cutting Medicare or Social Security? Reducing spending by trillions of dollars? Even closing tax loopholes for the famous corporate jets? Seriously, President Obama?
Does he honestly actually believe this? Has he completely drunk their Kool Aid? Is this supposed to play well with Americans and independents? Has he gone so far over to the dark side that he actually believes the supply side economics will somehow create jobs?
Has he read today's jobs report whcih follows on the heels of that fantastic tax cutting deal struck in December 2010, hailed as a huge 'win'?
On how the poor jobs report may affect the debt ceiling/deficit talks, Republicans tripled down on their crazy, seizing on the report as proof that 'Now is not the time to raise taxes!' Because we have kept lowering them and because this has not created jobs, we must continue the same behavior, even though this is known as insanity.
From today's media quotes:
John Boehner: Any deal that raises taxes or fails to make serious spending cuts
won't pass the House
Eric Cantor: It just does not make sense for Americans to suffer under higher taxes
in an economy like this
Austan Goolsbee: The report shows the need for lawmakers to agree on a balanced approach.
UGH! Balanced approach - gag me with a spoon.
Here is the press briefing in case you missed it: