In regards to today's news regarding the White House's latest effort to adversely affect Social Security, I think that we need to stop trying to explain away this kind of reprehensible behavior from the President or ANY Democrat that pushes any wretched agenda that affects Social Security, Medicare or Medicade.
I know that we laugh at the idiots who vote for Republican anti-gay marriage candidates because we know that they're just being fed "red meat" in order to earn their votes despite a complete inability to pass actual legislation towards that end. We "smart progressives" recognize that the GOP voters are just being sold a bill of goods to get their vote since once that GOP candidate gets in office, they'll only be working on a pro-corporate agenda.
But are we any different? How many times does the President need to undermine Social Security before we hold him accountable? Remember when Obama added a Social Security tax holiday to the stimulus? No member of the GOP wanted that in the package and it certainly didn't seem like it was part of the discussion at any time, but out of nowhere, here was the President adversely affecting one of the greatest legacies of the Democratic party. And now, despite overwhelming voter support AGAINST Social Security and Medicare cuts, here's the President again - going against his own party, his own supporters and the majority of Americans to gut popular public programs. Add the Smog bill, Bush Tax Cuts, the lack of progress promised Latinos on immigration reform, or the closure of Guantanimo...and the list of blue meat we've been fed becomes too painful to continue eating.
And Social Security or the President is not the only example of our own candidates shedding our values inexplicably. Remember back to Harry Reid's handling of Health Care reform? We were told that Progressives will champion a Public Option as it's what is best fiscally and functionally for all Americans. But when it came time to choose someone to lead that reform effort, who do Reid pick? Max [Expletive Removed] Bauchus! The LAST person you would want leading that effort on our behalf (and Harry Reid repeated that lunacy when choosing Senators for the recent special Congressional Anti-Deficit committee)! In fact, the only way this kind of pattern makes sense is if the person making the call has an entirely different agenda. And this Social Security news leaves me with no other alternative. Obama and Reid's priorities significantly differ than ours and we need to let them know we cannot support it.
We no longer can keep trying to apply sense to this behavior! In fact, it's this kind of stupid politics from the President that ensures that while I will vote for the President in the next election over any GOP candidate, I will NOT provide him any money in the same way I won't provide any money to any candidate that does not match my values. I simply can no longer support these Democrats that are just a little less crappy than Republicans. I'll strongly back TRUE progressives, but I simply do not see the President or Harry Reid in that category any longer.
Then again, when it comes to Social Security, how can we be surprised that the Presidential candidate that was backed most fervently by Goldman Sachs in 2008 would handle Social Security any other way? I guess we all just need to realize that the bill has finally come due...