Good Morning!
Helleborus. Scott Arboretum. March, 2013. Photo by joanneleon.
Bruce Springsteen & Tom Morello - The ghost of Tom Joad
News and Opinion
Oh it "irks both sides" so in Beltway Bubble world pretzel logic, that must be a good thing. Also it's important not to forget that these cost of living adjustment changes don't just affect Social Security, they are cuts to at least 30 government programs. Cuts on the back of the most needy people in this country. But it includes a preschool program paid for by tobacco taxes, so it's all good! Also note that Obama, via Carney, is trying to spin this so that if Democrats oppose his cuts, that means they "embrace" the sequester and defense cuts. They use this as the bludgeon.
Two months late, Obama's budget proposal irks both sides
Jim Dean, chairman of Democracy for America, accused Mr. Obama of turning his back on the voters who re-elected him.
"Real Democrats do not cut Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid ever," Dean said during a protest outside the White House gates. "We are here to tell the president that we do not have his back on this proposal. We are also here to tell Congress that we will have the back of those who are going to defend Social Security and that we are prepared to primary those who will not."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called the Social Security benefit change a "technical adjustment" and described it a good-faith gesture to Republicans seeking new entitlement savings.
[...]
"You've seen noted experts in the field who have said that, should a proposal to make this technical adjustment to how we calculate cost of living increases across the board in government programs, [...] "It will go further than the sequester," Carney said of the Obama budget. "If the proposition is that the sequester is policy that we want to embrace, I encourage members of Congress to stand up and say so; that they believe in the defense cuts; that they believe in the fact that there are no entitlement savings; that they believe in the across-the-board indiscriminate nature of the sequester."
Cut Social Security & Veterans' Benefits? Cut the Pentagon Instead
Say what you want about President Obama's proposal to cut Social Security and veterans' benefits with the "chained CPI." He did accomplish one thing for liberals that they often have a hard time doing on their own.
He united them - in opposition to his proposal.
Since Friday, the following groups, among others, have contacted me expressing outrage about and pledging to vigorously oppose the President's proposal: the AFL-CIO, MoveOn, Progressive Campaign Change Committee, CREDO Action, Americans for Democratic Action, Democracy for America. Some of these groups are explicitly threatening primary challenges to any Congressional Democrat who supports the President's proposal.
Sanders and Over 2 Million Others to Obama: Don't Cut Social Security!
Protesters deliver petition to White House, call on Obama to keep his word
Sanders stated:
When one out of four major profitable corporations pays nothing in federal income taxes, we know how we can deal with deficit reduction in a way that is fair.
Some of you may remember that when President Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he said that he would not cut Social Security. We want the president to remember and not go back on his word.
Joining Sanders and his supporters were several groups including the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the National Organization for Women, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, the Campaign for America’s Future and MoveOn.org.
Organizers from the more than 15 groups stacked nine file boxes containing petition signatures in front of the White House,[...]
This is a must see. It keeps growing. If you can only look at one thing today, look at this.
Obama: Don't Cut Social Security
Wall Street loves the Grand Bargain and the prospect of cutting Social Security.
U.S. Stock Futures Advance Before Budget, Fed Minutes
U.S. stock futures rose, signaling the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will gain for a third day, before President Barack Obama submits his budget to Congress and the Federal Reserve releases minutes of its March meeting.
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Obama submits his proposed 2014 budget to Congress today, more than two months past the Feb. 4 deadline, after Democrats and Republicans deadlocked over taxes and spending.
[...]
While Obama’s fifth budget proposal stands little chance of becoming law because of opposition from Republicans who control the House, it emphasizes his priorities and will set the stage for talks on a broader debt-reduction package.
Exclusive: Homeland Security deputy to quit; defended civilian Internet role
(Reuters) - The second-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security said she will resign shortly, ending four years as a champion of a civilian-controlled Internet.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Jane Holl Lute, the sole deputy secretary at Homeland Security, said on Monday she would give notice this week and leave to pursue a role in international Internet affairs.
Lute said that she was leaving with the department on a strong footing in Internet matters, with its central role cemented by an executive order on cybersecurity issued by President Barack Obama in February.
The order directs the civilian Department of Homeland Security to steer improvements in protections for private industry, instead of giving the lead to the military's National Security Agency.
Action
Blogathon!
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DailyKos Blogathon -- Week of April 8th
(All times are Eastern, diaries published by the Pushing back at the Grand Bargain group)
Monday, April 8
10:00 a.m. Roger Fox
12:00 noon eXtina
2:00 p.m. Guest crosspost by Yves Smith
3:00 p.m. poopdogcomedy
4:00 p.m. Horace Boothroyd III
6:00 p.m. slinkerwink
8:00 p.m. joedemocrat
Tuesday, April 9
10:00 a.m. Guest crosspost by Bill Black
12:00 noon Livestream Event diary/Team
2:00 p.m. joe shikspack
4:00 p.m. Roger Fox
6:00 p.m. Priceman
8:00 p.m. TomP
Wednesday, April 10
11:00 a.m. Liveblog budget announcement press conference
12:00 noon Words in Action
1:00 p.m. bobswern
2:00 p.m. One Pissed Off Liberal (OPOL)
4:00 p.m. Puddytat
6:00 p.m. Tool
8:00 p.m. SouthernLiberalinMD
Thursday, April 11
10:00 a.m. Letsgetitdone
12:00 noon CitizenofEarth
1:00 p.m. Words in Action
2:00 p.m. Liveblog event diary
4:00 p.m. Unitary Moonbat
6:00 p.m. cosmic debris
8:00 p.m. angelajean
Friday April 12
10:00 a.m. Reserved
12:00 noon Reserved
2:00 p.m. Reserved
4:00 p.m. Reserved
6:00 p.m. Reserved
8:00 p.m. Reserved
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1. Call your senators and representatives and tell them "Hell No!" with a priority on contacting senators. U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can find email contact information here
2. Contact the White House and tell them "Hell No!". Switchboard: 202-456-1414. Email contact page is here.
3. Petitions. There are a number of petitions available. Choose from the following or preferably sign them all.
a. White House petition calling for no cuts to Social Security.
b. AFL-CIO petition calling for no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and calling for more jobs, repealing the sequester and ending tax loopholes for the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
c. Sen. Harkin's petition telling Pres. Obama not to cut Social Security.
4. Social Media. Share this diary and promote this blogathon on Facebook and Google+ using the buttons at the top of the diary. Send this out on Twitter and add the hashtags #HellNo and #NoGrandBargain.
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Blogathon diaries you might have missed
Monday:
Hell No! #NoGrandBargain: "Pushing back at the Grand Bargain" by Roger Fox
Hell No! Chained CPI will reduce eligability for EITC #noChainedCPI by Roger Fox
Hell No! Dan Pfeiffer: "The President's Budget Shows That He is Serious About Solving Deficits" by eXtina
Guest Crosspost, Yves Smith: Obama Wants to Be the President Who Rolled Back the New Deal by Yves Smith via joanneleon
IA-Sen: Tom Harkin (D) Needs Our Help Telling Obama Hell No To The Chained CPI by poopdogcomedy
Hell No! Stop crushing the poor by Horace Boothroyd III
Hell, No! Social Security Contributes Nothing To Deficit by slinkerwink
Hell No! No Grand Bargain: Chained CPI: Social Security Means So Much To So Many by joedemocrat
Tuesday:
Bill Black: “Wall Street Uses the Third Way to Lead its Assault on Social Security” by Bill Black via joanneleon
Hell No! Livestream. Petition delivered to White House. Millions of signatures. 12:30pm by Lady Libertine
Hell No! No Grand Bargain. Are "Progressives" Destroying the New Deal? by joe shikspack
#HellNo ! #ChainedCPI : $65 billion income tax increase on working families #noChainedCPI by Roger Fox
Hell No! Chained CPI is a Cut. You Either Care About People or You Don't. by priceman
Hell No! No Votes or Money To Dems Who Vote To Cut Social Security. by TomP
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April Days of Action Against Drones
APRIL DAYS OF ACTION 2013 – A National Uprising to Stop Drone Spying and Killing
April 4 – 6: Drone Manufacturing
Organizers around the country are encouraged to identify drone manufacturing facilities in their regions and organize demonstrations, teach-ins and other actions calling for an end to drone attacks and an end to the manufacture of weaponized and surveillance drones. Coordinator – Joe Scarry – jtscarry@yahoo.com
April 16- 18: Drone Research/Training
Organizers around the country are encouraged to identify colleges and universities in their regions doing drone research and/or training of drone pilots and to call for an end to research and training related to drone warfare. Coordinator – Marge Van Cleef – mvc@igc.org
April 27 – 28: Drone Bases
Organizers around the country will be encouraged to organize protests at drone bases in their regions. People will be encouraged also to participate in demonstrations planned during this period at the Reaper drone base at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse, NY.
Coordinator – Dave Soumis – davidso1@charter.net
Blog Posts and Tweets of Interest
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' bout a Revolution