Obama appeals to middle class on debt talks; GOP touts balanced budget

[Gunny]

By the CNN Wire Staff
July 16, 2011 6:48 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- Evoking compromises of the past, President Barack Obama said Saturday that a commitment to shared sacrifice can break the current impasse on the debt ceiling.

"Let's be honest. Neither party in this town is blameless," he said in his weekly address. "Both have talked this problem to death without doing enough about it. That's what drives people nuts about Washington."

The president spoke as internal discussions continued at the White House. These came a day after Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Minority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, met, said a Democratic source familiar with the debt negotiations and a Republican aide.

Obama used his address to reach out to the middle class, reiterating his call for higher taxes on the wealthy and reforms to politically popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. He cited budget deals forged by President Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill as well as President Bill Clinton and Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich, crediting them with making sacrifices that benefited the common good.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/16/debt.talks/index.html


Got to be kidding. Appealing to the very people he's screwed the most? And blaming HIS crap on "both parties".

Just more bullshit on the Obama train wreck ride.

[Shadow]

If anyone needs to know what "issues" Obama and his administration feel they are failing on the most when they review their internal polling...all you need to do is see what he is blaming on the republicans.

Case in point...he has been spending a lot of time blather on and on about tax breaks for the uber rich who own corporate planes,and this being the product of the evil republicans. The very same tax breaks he and the dems passed in his idiotic stimulas bill that no one bothered to read.

Hopefully the middle class isn't stupid enough to believe he is looking out for their interests. Especially after he has telling them for over a year that they need to learn to live with less.

[gabosaurus]

Interesting that the party that supported tax cuts and increased defense spending over the previous eight years now suddenly wants to balance the budget.
Who suffers the most when radical budget cuts costs people jobs? Not the upper class, of course.

The fight over the balanced budget is threatening to shut down the government. I am surprised that veterans favor this, since a government shutdown would stop payments to the military and veterans pensions. Does the current Congress really want to be responsible for that?

Also interesting is that all the past budget battles have ended through compromise between the White House and Congress. The refusal of the GOP to compromise further proves that they have decided that destroying the Obama administration is a higher priority than fulfilling the needs of the American public. A fact that will be issued in the 2012 elections.

[Missileman]

Interesting that the party that supported tax cuts and increased defense spending over the previous eight years now suddenly wants to balance the budget.
Who suffers the most when radical budget cuts costs people jobs? Not the upper class, of course.

The fight over the balanced budget is threatening to shut down the government. I am surprised that veterans favor this, since a government shutdown would stop payments to the military and veterans pensions. Does the current Congress really want to be responsible for that?

Also interesting is that all the past budget battles have ended through compromise between the White House and Congress. The refusal of the GOP to compromise further proves that they have decided that destroying the Obama administration is a higher priority than fulfilling the needs of the American public. A fact that will be issued in the 2012 elections.

Let me ask you the same question I'd ask the boy Messiah...if you cut spending, why do you need to raise taxes? If you cut spending, why do you need to raise the debt ceiling?

While we're at it, we should ask the poser in the Whitehouse why he included the corporate jet tax incentive in the stimulus bill...you know the same one he starts parroting on about when asked about raising taxes?

[gabosaurus]

Let me ask you the same question I'd ask the boy Messiah...if you cut spending, why do you need to raise taxes? If you cut spending, why do you need to raise the debt ceiling?


Trouble is, Republicans don't want to cut spending across the board. They want to pick and choose where they cut spending.
Some areas have been cut to the point where they are barely sustainable. Such as projects to restore and renew our infrastructure. But no one wants to cut military spending, which has become bloated beyond control.

[red states rule]

Interesting that the party that supported tax cuts and increased defense spending over the previous eight years now suddenly wants to balance the budget.
Who suffers the most when radical budget cuts costs people jobs? Not the upper class, of course.

The fight over the balanced budget is threatening to shut down the government. I am surprised that veterans favor this, since a government shutdown would stop payments to the military and veterans pensions. Does the current Congress really want to be responsible for that?

Also interesting is that all the past budget battles have ended through compromise between the White House and Congress. The refusal of the GOP to compromise further proves that they have decided that destroying the Obama administration is a higher priority than fulfilling the needs of the American public. A fact that will be issued in the 2012 elections.

Gabby it is amazing how you parrot the liberal media talking points despite all the facts that prove them wrong

There is money to pay SS and Vets - but then again Obama and you both know this, but you would rather score political points rather then face the truth over the nations debt





Clearly, it is of no matter to Obama that hiking taxes and raising the national debt limit very likely will keep millions of Americans unemployed and hobble the economy for years to come. All he has to do is scare enough voters long enough to get through the November 2012 election to get himself re-elected.

Here are the facts, as reported by MarketWatch and the Bipartisan Policy Center. You do the math:

* The federal government receives approximately $200 billion in revenues each month.

* Interest on the national debt in August will be approximately $29 billion.

* Social Security will cost about $49. 2 billion.

* Medicare and Medicaid will cost about $50 billion.

* Active duty military pay will cost about $2.9 billion.

* Veterans affairs programs will cost about $2.9 billion.


If you've been punching buttons on your calculator, you know that still leaves $39 billion each month. This is where Obama and the Democrats most fear to go.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/07/washington-gets-200-billion-month-social-security-costs-50-billio#ixzz1SRqaEsE7
=

[Missileman]

Trouble is, Republicans don't want to cut spending across the board. They want to pick and choose where they cut spending.
Some areas have been cut to the point where they are barely sustainable. Such as projects to restore and renew our infrastructure. But no one wants to cut military spending, which has become bloated beyond control.

That didn't answer my question. Besides, we already let the DEMs blow nearly a trillion dollars on infrastructure projects...you know, the shovel-ready ones? Fool me once...

This double-speak of "investment" in infrastructure is nothing other than more spending. How do you reconcile cutting spending by increasing spending?

As for across the board cuts, I don't believe the DEMs have offered such a budget, though I admit I may be wrong...post a link to it please.

[CSM]

I say we disband the military all together. Doing that should take care of the much feared military-industrial complex. The added benefit will be that with all those defense workers staying home we wont need as much infrastructure either. We won't have to worry about a bunch of brainwashed robots (soldier, sailor, Marine or airman) fomenting nefarious schemes to overthrow the beneficent government. Of course, the rest of the world will then view us as a non violent and peaceful country and never consider military action against us.

[darin]

Seems Gabby hacked your account :)

'across the board spending cuts' is a bad idea. Targeted, wasteful spending like NEA, FDA, IRS, hrm...Social Security reform/shut down...those types of things would be good. If the .gov said "we will not collect ANY social security 'tax' from you, if you put that into a private retirement account" the country would save millions, and people would be better-taken-care-of.

[fj1200]

Interesting that the party that supported tax cuts and increased defense spending over the previous eight years now suddenly wants to balance the budget.
Who suffers the most when radical budget cuts costs people jobs? Not the upper class, of course.

...

Also interesting is that all the past budget battles have ended through compromise between the White House and Congress. The refusal of the GOP to compromise further proves that they have decided that destroying the Obama administration is a higher priority than fulfilling the needs of the American public. A fact that will be issued in the 2012 elections.

That whole post is a tired, easily refuted argument. Tax rates don't determine revenue and taxing the upper class will only filter down to pain for the middle and lower classes.

The GOP shouldn't compromise on tax cuts because the rates don't matter and for BO to focus on corporate jets shows the vapidity of his position; the revenues are meaningless in the long-term and counterproductive anyway. See the Luxury Taxes imposed in 1990 as example; the rich "paying more" caused them zero pain and resulted in job losses for the blue-collars that build yachts.


Trouble is, Republicans don't want to cut spending across the board. They want to pick and choose where they cut spending.

What's wrong with that? If you need to cut spending at home do you do it across the board or do you cut the non-essentials first?

[Gunny]

Interesting that the party that supported tax cuts and increased defense spending over the previous eight years now suddenly wants to balance the budget.
Who suffers the most when radical budget cuts costs people jobs? Not the upper class, of course.

The fight over the balanced budget is threatening to shut down the government. I am surprised that veterans favor this, since a government shutdown would stop payments to the military and veterans pensions. Does the current Congress really want to be responsible for that?

Also interesting is that all the past budget battles have ended through compromise between the White House and Congress. The refusal of the GOP to compromise further proves that they have decided that destroying the Obama administration is a higher priority than fulfilling the needs of the American public. A fact that will be issued in the 2012 elections.

Give it a rest. Interesting how the party that pays lip service to "taxing the wealthy" is just as much a part of "the wealthy" as anyone else.

Smoke and mirrors. Only you on the left are dumb enough to believe the lies.

Balancing the budget and trimming down the deficit to something fathomable are two very different things. The past 8 years include the most disastrous which have been the most recent 3, so quit trying to use the same smoke and mirrors to shift blame. Nothing more interesting than those that cried like titty-babies while Bush was in office for carrying out policies that could be termed nothing less than moderate compared to the current "Narcissist in Chief's" policies.

[Gunny]

Trouble is, Republicans don't want to cut spending across the board. They want to pick and choose where they cut spending.
Some areas have been cut to the point where they are barely sustainable. Such as projects to restore and renew our infrastructure. But no one wants to cut military spending, which has become bloated beyond control.

Republicans? EVERYONE wants to pick and choose where to cut spending.

The military spending rant is WAY old and lame. Typical leftist BS though. Forget the military. Let's spend money on things we can't sustain WITHOUT a military.

How about we get rid of gov't subsidies for abortion, and Herr Obama doesn't tell Federal Law enforcement officials to not enforce federal immigration laws? Just to name a couple that cost us billions .....