Americans Value Protecting Social Security More Than Deficit Reduction - FDL/Pew

[WillyT]

Americans Value Protecting Social Security More Than Deficit Reduction
By: Jon Walker
Friday March 22, 2013 9:08 am

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While you might not think it from watching cable news the reality is that the American people overwhelmingly believe protecting Medicare and Social Security benefits is more important than deficit reduction. According to Pew Research, 55 percent think keeping Medicare and Social Security is more important than reducing the deficit. Only 34 percent of Americans think reducing the deficit should be a higher priority. From Pew: http://www.people-press.org/2013/03/21/section-1-obama-job-approval-confidence-on-budget-deficit/



The push by President Obama and some Congressional Democrats for a grand bargain that cuts Social Security benefits and raises taxes to reduce the deficit is not what the American people want. It is also radically out of sync with the wishes of your base. An incredible 73 percent of Democrats don’t think Social Security should be cut to reduce the deficit.

It is always worth remembering the grand bargain is something only a tiny group of radicals actually wants. Unfortunately, thanks to things like Pete Peterson’s billion dollar campaign, the idea is give dramatically more credence then its level of support would justify.

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Link: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/03/22/americans-value-protecting-social-security-more-than-deficit-reduction/

[WillyT]

1. Kick !!!

[ananda]

2. This American values SS AND deficit reduction because..

.. the two are not related.

[bvar22]

3. 70% of Americans OPPOSED an Insurance Mandate without a Public Option.

That didn't stop our politicians from doing what they wanted to do.

[Dragonfli]

4. 73 percent of Democrats < Pete Peterson’s billion dollar campaign

The way our party is run (ever since it was taken over by the Koch bros. DLC) is constituents and polls do not matter, people do not matter, money is access, money decides policy, the rest is only a pr campaign, a sales pitch to get the rubes to buy the tickets stamped D every two years. You may buy a ticket with your vote and you get to watch the great show that they put on for us, but one ticket is all you get, and you have no voice to go with it. To count as a voice you must buy millions of special gold plated tickets, the more of these million dollar tickets you buy, the more your voice is heard, it is no longer a battle of Ideas, but rather an auction, and everything is for sale in this auction. Without millions, you can't even make an opening bid, let alone outbid the other special interests invited to the action.

All your vote buys is a seat under the big tent, they put on a grand show, one that resembles a game between the Globetrotters and the Generals, but only the dimmest of rubes think the Generals might win, the same dim bulbs that still think TV wrestling is for real.

Do you really think Obama cares what any of us think? If he did, would he really be pushing a deal a large majority of us are saying hell no to? If you believe that, then you know the definition of Rube, and the picture next to that definition is a snapshot of you.