We liked the old system: One party proposed one set of ideas, the other party proposed another, and the voters decided which ones they preferred.
Democrats' Dilemma
The president leads his party. Unless Democrats mount a concerted opposition to this budget, they'll have gone on record as the party that wants to cut Social Security.
Hill Democrats face a real quandary. If they resist this misguided document they'll find themselves under intense pressure from the White House and their own leadership. But this budget is wrong for the country, and Democrats who support it will help inflict a deep wound on their party's electoral chances.
And they'll feel the wound themselves. That AARP poll showed that 87 percent of voters over the age of 50 consider it "very important" that politicians not cut Social Security benefits. Any Dem who votes for it will suffer at the polls.
Democrats already suffered a precipitous 25-point drop in confidence on this issue during Obama's first two years in office -- then lost the House as Republicans ran to their left with a "Seniors' Bill of Rights."
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is tracking the elected officials who are standing up to oppose this cut. These leaders deserve our support. And liberals are threatening to mount primary challenges against Senators and Representatives who vote for a chained-CPI budget.
They can count me in.
Your Move
The president has made his decision. Now the rest of us must make ours. We have a moral obligation to future generations, and to ourselves, to actively oppose the cuts in this budget. This is the wake-up call: These programs can't defend themselves, and we can't depend on others to defend them for us.
The ball's in our court now.
The first step is to make your voice heard. You can tell your elected representatives that you oppose these cuts by going here.
See also:
"Death of 1,000 Cuts: Our Lousy Economy Is Already Slashing Social Security Benefits"
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"A President Who'll Cut Social Security - And Liberals Who Love Him Too Much"
"The Great Wage Robbery"
"The Long Depression"
"Shocker: Obama'sLess Trusted Than Bush On Social Security"
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