Dems who need pressure, a call to action on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid 22OKT13

TWO prominent Democrats in the US Senate are laying the groundwork for Pres Obama and the Democratic caucus in the US to betray the American people who elected them to office. Both Sen Dick Durbin D IL and Sen Mark Warner D VA have gone on national TV and stated there will have to be "adjustments" made to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in the upcoming budget negotiations with the repiglicans and tea-baggers. They are willing to sacrifice the retirement security and the health care of the disabled to satisfy the greed of the same people in congress who shut down the federal government earlier this month. The same people who don't represent the best interest of the people who elected them or the American people as a whole, but who represent the wealthy and corporate interest who bought  and paid for their elections to congress. The decision has already been made for another grand betrayal, and the propaganda campaign has started to sell it to the American people. See my earlier post Government Close Down - Another Grand Betrayal in the Works? 4OKT13
http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2013/10/government-close-down-another-grand.html
Below is a call to action from the PCCC / Progressive Change Campaign Committee to hold all Democrats who promote, support and vote for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid accountable, including supporting Democratic challengers when they are up for reelection and not volunteering for or contributing to their campaigns. Click the link to sign the pledge.
Sen. Mark Warner keeps saying he's open to cutting Social Security. And he's negotiating for Democrats with Paul Ryan!
We're preparing to fight back during the upcoming months of negotiations.
Sign the pledge to take action against anyone -- Democrat or Republican -- who wants to cut Social Security.
More below... -- Adam

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Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Mark Warner said: "We all know at the end of the day...Democrats are going to have to give on entitlement reform."

This is coming from one of the Democrats picked to negotiate with Paul Ryan and hash out a budget.

We need to pressure Sen. Warner on his home turf to stop pushing for a Grand Bargain that cuts Social Security.

Can you help us fight against Warner and other Democrats who push for benefit cuts? Sign the pledge to take action and hold Democrats accountable.

Sen. Warner has a bad habit of pre-emptive caving on Social Security. Days before the government shutdown, Warner told CNBC, "Democrats are gonna have to give on entitlements." He was wrong.

This broken record needs to find a new tune. We must expand benefits for seniors and veterans, not cut them.

Starting next week, we want to organize Warner's Virginia constituents, generate local media events, and flood his office with pressure from constituents.

Pledge to take action against benefit cuts and ensure that Sen. Warner and any Democrats who follow his lead hear loudly from their constituents -- click here to sign.

Some groups won't name names of Democrats who need pressure. We just did because, with Social Security at stake, progressives need to pressure the right people.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Adam Green, PCCC co-founder

On Fox News Sunday, the second ranking Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin said he was open to cutting Social Security and explained:

"Social Security is gonna run out of money in 20 years. The Baby Boom generation is gonna blow away our future. We don't wanna see that happen."

Huffington Post points out, "Social Security will not run out of money in 20 years. The program currently enjoys a surplus of more than $2 trillion."
We expect false facts and a push to cut Social Security benefits from Republicans, but not from Democrats like Dick Durbin.
Senator Durbin is on the key committee for the budget talks, and negotiations begin soon. That's why he needs to hear from us now.
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Kimberly Fountain, Campaign Director

 

Supercommittee Admits It's Failed To Reach A Deal 21NOV11

HERE are some words of wisdom our government and nation should consider, and should be considering with today's announcement that the super committee and congress failed the people again....THIS is NOT saying the Democrats should have caved in to the demands of the Republicans....It is saying that with this failure we should not lie, deceive and manipulate the facts about why the committee failed and who is responsible. There is enough truth in the facts, that the Democrats finally took and stand, and remained united in their commitment to the poor, the retired, the working class and the middle class of this nation and defended them against what seems to be the insatiable greed of the rich, corporations, the banking-financial cabal and the military industrial complex. Finally someone took a stand and held their ground for the the 99%!
Work toward unity, and live in harmony with one another. Avoid thinking you are better than others or wiser than the rest; instead, embrace common people and ordinary tasks. Do not retaliate with evil, regardless of the evil brought against you. Try to do what is good and right and honorable as agreed upon by all people. If it is within your power, make peace with all people.
- Romans 12:16-18

by Eyder Peralta

Enlarge J. Scott Applewhite/AP Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the supercommittee co-chairwoman, arrives to meet in the Capitol Hill office of Democratic Sen. John Kerry with other members of the deficit reduction panel on Monday.

The co-chairs of the Supercommittee made it official, minutes ago: They said they have failed to reach an agreement over a deficit reduction package.
The AP reports:

"Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling say that despite 'intense deliberations' the members of the panel have been unable 'to bridge the committee's significant differences.'
"The panel was established by this summer's budget and debt agreement to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the budget over 10 years. But the panel has been divided from the beginning over taxes and cuts to popular government benefit programs like Medicare."

In a statement, Rep. Jeb Hensarling and Sen. Patty Murray, the co-chairs of the commission, said they were "deeply disappointed" in their inability to reach a bipartisan deal.
They add:

Despite our inability to bridge the committee's significant differences, we end this process united in our belief that the nation's fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve.

The legislation Congress agreed to in the summer stipulates that if the committee could not reach a deal, there would across-the-board cuts of $1.2 trillion — or 10 percent of the nation's collective deficit — over the next decade. Neither party wants that, because it would hit the defense budget hard, which Republicans don't want, and also hit domestic programs, which Democrats don't want.
That could happen, or NPR's Liz Halloran reports, they could change the rules.
We'll have more as this story develops.
Update at 6:02 p.m. ET. A Bit More On The Impasse:
Like the debt ceiling negotiations of earlier this year, the impasse of these negotiations was about taxes on the rich. The Washington Post captures that divide with rounding up interviews with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.):

Kerry said efforts ultimately foundered over the Republican refusal to accept any tax increases on the wealthy in exchange for spending cuts.
"This is a matter of fundamental fairness," Kerry told CNN. "We are stuck on this insistence of making the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent. I think the American people will judge that to be insane."
Kyl blamed Democrats for insisting that taxes on more affluent Americans be increased. "Our Democratic friends said we won't cut one dollar more without raising taxes," Kyl said. "That tells you a lot about the ethos in Washington. We went into the exercise to try to reduce federal government spending. What we get from the other side is, 'No, we won't make more cuts unless you raise taxes.' "

Update at 5:49 p.m. ET. Obama Says He'll Veto Rule Changes:
"One way or another, we will be trimming the deficit," said President Obama just moments ago. The president, making a statement in the White House press briefing room, said Congress still has time to reach a deal, but that he does not support changing the rules in order to avoid automatic cuts.
The president warned he would veto any legislation that did so.
Obama opened his statement, however, with sharp words toward congressional Republicans. He said Republicans have refused to give in on new revenue or letting the Bush tax cuts expire. He said Republicans are trying to "protect the rich" despite cuts to medicare and other social programs for the poor.
"Their refusal remains the main stumbling block," he said.
Obama said Congress needs to get back to work and "create a balanced plan."
"They have a year to to figure it out," Obama said.
Update at 5:18 p.m. ET. President To Make A Statement:
President Obama will make a statement at 5:45 p.m. ET. We'll bring you his comments as they happen.

Related NPR Stories

Four Reasons The Supercommittee Isn't So Super Nov. 21, 2011

With No 'Super' Deal, What's Next? Nov. 21, 2011