Unfortunately, I doubt anyone is going to be surprised by this development. Deeply disappointed, yes. Amazing frustrated, yes. Beyond annoyed, yes. And, wondering what the hell they're thinking at the White House, definitely.
Maybe the President has been negotiating with himself for so long that he's lost all perspective. In exchange for what might possibly be some minor tax revenue increases, the President is giving GOPers what they couldn't get from George Bush, a GOP-controlled House and a GOP-led Senate. Yes, from Obama, Republicans are getting what they've always wanted. Lori Montgomery at the Washington Post broke the story:
President Obama is pressing congressional leaders to consider a far-reaching debt-reduction plan that would force Democrats to accept major changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for Republican support for fresh tax revenue.That "hunger to do something of some significance" is fed by the GOPers and the DC pundits. The White House bought it. They're selling out on core Democratic priniciples. For what?
At a meeting with top House and Senate leaders set for Thursday morning, Obama plans to argue that a rare consensus has emerged about the size and scope of the nation’s budget problems and that policymakers should seize the moment to take dramatic action.
As part of his pitch, Obama is proposing significant reductions in Medicare spending and for the first time is offering to tackle the rising cost of Social Security, according to people in both parties with knowledge of the proposal. The move marks a major shift for the White House and could present a direct challenge to Democratic lawmakers who have vowed to protect health and retirement benefits from the assault on government spending.
“Obviously, there will be some Democrats who don’t believe we need to do entitlement reform. But there seems to be some hunger to do something of some significance,” said a Democratic official familiar with the administration’s thinking. “These moments come along at most once a decade. And it would be a real mistake if we let it pass us by.”
And, if GOPers don't agree on tax increases, hard to see how Obama takes Social Security and Medicare off the table -- after he put them there.
