Obama may cut Social Security benefits during Lame Duck session following election

Not good. After November, Obama will never again face the electorate. He's free to do as he wants.

The Lesser Evil is still evil, folks. If you vote for it, it's your job to save us from it.

Huffington Post:

Obama May Do Social Security Reform During Lame Duck Session, Senate Democrats Worry

Concern is mounting among some Senate Democrats that President Barack Obama will make a deal with Senate Republicans during the lame-duck session that would result in changes to the benefit structure of Social Security.

[A snipped paragraph about how Obama said nice things before the AARP about what he's "open" to doing — without making a single promise.]

But the Vermont Independent worried that all of this could be posturing for the lame-duck session immediately after the election, when lawmakers are expected to rush to find another "grand bargain" on tax and entitlement reform to stave off the so-called fiscal cliff.

"That's exactly what's going to happen," Sanders said of Social Security being on the proverbial table, "Unless someone of us stops it -- and a number of us are working very hard on this -- that's exactly what will happen. Everything being equal, unless we stop it, what will happen is there will be a quote-unquote grand bargain after the election in which the White House, some Democrats will sit down with Republicans, they will move to a chained CPI."

Read more about the "chained CPI" proposal here. All you need to know — it changes the cost of living adjustment so retirees get a lot less money.

When the president and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) attempted to craft a deal on the debt ceiling last summer, Obama offered the chained CPI as a concession.

So there. As we wrote months and months ago, Obama's original Grand Bargain is still on the table.

And Daddy Koch (sorry, David Koch) — soon-to-be operational head of the Republican Party (sorry, "one of the most influential donors in the Republican Party") — has given his blessing to the fig leaf (sorry, "tax increases") Obama needs to sell his surrender to us as some kind of benefit.

Barring an open Democratic office-holders rebellion, this is starting to look like a done-deal. Even Nancy Pelosi, judging by her words, is on board as well.

Hmm, "open rebellion" by office-holders against DLC and NeoLib party leaders. Maybe that's what we need from our good progressive electeds ....

UPDATE: There's quite a good discussion going on in the comments, with a number of positions debated. I've weighed in several times myself. Do click through if this subject interests you.

GP

To follow or send links: @Gaius_Publius