Voters Think Obama Is Trying To Take Their Social Security, Medicare and Retirement. [View all]

[TheMastersNemesis]

While I was waiting to play golf the other day was listening to a couple of guys talking about how Obama is stealing their retirement. They also believe he is trying to get rid of their Social Security and Medicare. And in all honesty I cannot defend Obama to them because of his actions related to reforming those programs.

By putting Simpson and Bowles on that commission and proposing the "chained CPI" he is undercutting Democrats and giving the real culprits cover. And we know it is the GOP that has caused all these problems and they are the ones who have proposed initiatives that would wreck both programs.

Obama's silence or lack of aggressive defense of these programs by taking all cuts off the table and his willingness to propose a reform that is absurd on its face may have already wrecked Democratic chances in 2014. Obama's Clinton style triangulation and bipartisanship is destructive and counter productive. The fact that he has not aggressively spoken out against raising the retirement age and eligibility age for Medicare is a political blunder. His embrace of austerity has given the GOP the playing field and control of the conversation.

The real problem is that Obama is the villain in people's minds. And it is particularly entrenched in the minds of white males. What is happening is almost the same as "job losses" being blamed on Clinton who pushed to pass GOP initiatives like NAFTA, GATT, favored nation status, telecommunications legislation, and "welfare deform" during his administration.

Democratic presidents like Clinton and Obama who are willing to pass and support what really are GOP ideas are idiotic what they have done and are doing by being "reasonable" is no better than giving your enemy the weapons and ammunition to slay you.

I supported Obama in both elections but his centrism in not defendable. And the longer he shuns and attacks his own base the more difficult it is to move the country forward. Obama is too willing to allow so many GOP initiatives and policies to continue.

His biggest mistake has been to not abolish Bush's education policies and continue them under "race to the top". His education policies alone are a very good way to turn our children over to RW ideology.

If Obama is the best Democratic president that we can field, then the country is doomed to further economic erosion.