Criticize the President? We should not even be having serious conversations about this.

[Babel_17]

275. You're correct. The problem is that for decades we have been in The Twilight Zone

The MSM is owned by and edited by and mouthed by a class of people that is loyal to the establishment.

In this Twilight Zone the goal posts are moved around by Serious People. Middle of the road is defined by a right that is perpetually wandering to an ever more extreme position on the map while the Democratic Party passively watches the media chase after them. The Serious People shout to us from the distance and say, "Here's the middle ground."

That's the world we live in and you don't give them a pass on any of their insane ideas.

The administration didn't just tuck in the language for the Chained CPI into the budget. The administration has been arguing its fairness. Administration allies have, in coordination, been arguing its fairness. On these forums people have been arguing its fairness.

Explaining to the public that this was just political jujitsu? Not in this Twilight Zone, nope.

Now, politically things can go our way in 2014 and even 2016. Maybe even it will be the case that the Chained CPI will be part of the Republican overreach that brings us those victories.

That won't make tarting up the Chained CPI any smarter of a move in the long term and it could possibly even be a Pyrrhic victory in the shorter term; If we are judging success by a measure that highly rates preserving SS benefits. If not, then by that metric, bravo, there might be a victory ahead.