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In case you think that Nancy Pelosi has gotten even slightly less execrably rightist since Barack Obama has been in office, think again. Pelosi just isn't satisfied with pushing through a wealthcare bill that takes money and healthcare away from the middle class, the poor, and the elderly and gives money to the HMOs, the health insurers, and the wealthy speculators who own their stocks. Now, she's engineering a sneak attack against Social Security and Medicare.
You may have been reading about Obama's "deficit commission" in DC. The name is misleading. Some people call it the "catfood commission" because its real goals are raising the Social Security retirement age to 70, cutting benefits in that program, slashing Medicare, and putting 20% of the Social Security trust fund in the stock market. Healthcare Now has been fighting hard to resist this attack on the livelihoods of the elderly and the futures of the young.
Pelosi is really good at engineering ways of pushing through rightist legislation while appearing to be liberal to casual observers in her district. We find out from Firedog Lake that she is pulling another fast one. (Hat Tip: I Can't Believe It's Not Democracy)
Embedded in the rule is the requirement that the House will vote on the deficit commission’s recommendations in the lame duck session if they pass the Senate.
The commission, co-chaired by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, is packed with members who favor the raising the retirement age to 70, means testing, and private accounts. Many also support investing 20% of the Social Security trust fund in the stock market.
This is a perfect opportunity. The lame duck session would happen during the holidays when people are really busy and aren't paying close attention to politics. That's the most opportune time to slip something in that is wildly unpopular.
Obviously, this isn't a done deal. However, liberals and progressives better do a better job fighting this than we did on the wealthcare bill. If we keep caving and letting corrupt politicians in both parties fuck us over, the poor will keep getting poorer and there will be no middle class left.
Photo: Speaker Pelosi
The way Social Security is now most people who are of retirement age can't afford to retire until there 70. Thankfully, we have such a caring and thoughtful Speaker of the House, whose main objective is screwing over as many of the masses as she can get away with while the pseudo-liberal media sing her praises.
Thanks for the link, lib. The CW with the democratic supporters is that Pelosi sees an opportunity to kill the commissions suggestions with this rule. I can't figure out how. That said, she was against the commission, as was John Boehner, because they saw it--rightly--as an attempt to usurp power form the House. Yeah, I hope Pelosi has a trick up her sleeve, but I am unwilling to believe in 11th dimensional chess like the true believers. I mean, look at what happened to Health "Care"/Insurance reform.
I can't decide if I'm more furious with the Democratic leadership or the radical Reich Wingers. They are both part of the same problem.