Obama on sideline as senators tackle entitlements

Source: AP

Feb 17, 5:48 PM EST



By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press

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Those with bigger titles, including the president, are watching, ready to join the discussion if this Gang of Six doesn't trip on the opening lap. Obama did little to address entitlement programs in the 10-year budget he unveiled Monday, and House Republicans aren't touching them as they debate how much and where to cut other, mainly non-benefit programs for the next seven months.

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Conrad, a moderate Democrat, has been quietly meeting with his five Senate colleagues for several weeks. The group includes another moderate, Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia; a liberal Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois; and three conservative Republicans - Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

Their work builds on the plan produced by Obama's deficit commission in December, which called for about $1 trillion in tax increases and $2.9 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade. The senators are working to set similar spending caps and tax increases as part of an overhaul of the tax code. Their work has sparked opposition from liberal groups concerned about benefit programs and conservatives opposed to tax increases.

Conservative activist Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, told Crapo, Coburn and Chambliss in a letter Thursday that any support by them for a tax increase would be considered a violation of their pledge to not raise taxes.




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The only one that isn't a corporate whore for sure is Durbin. Sounds like a major screw job is in the works. The last "gang" of asshole U.S. Senators ended up blessing Roberts and Alito as a SCOTUS compromise nominees and we all know how well that has worked out.

to me their "pledge to not raise taxes" will put thousands out of work and make things worse. Surely a cross the board tax increase would at least keep people working. I would be more than happy to pay more in taxes to keep my job than be an "entitlement". I would not trust Chambliss aka Beelzebub any farther than I could throw him. We all may need to buy good walking shoes and do the Wisconsin Shuffle to D.C.

A good high unemployment rate then solidifies repug gains, and probably hands them the senate as well. Its all so predictable...

"Conrad, Crapo, Coburn and Durbin all served on Obama's deficit commission, and all four voted to support the plan's wrenching measures, including raising the Social Security retirement age, cutting future benefit increases and eliminating popular tax breaks like the mortgage interest deduction."

Durbin- from Illinois- is the "liberal" of the group and he voted to support the deficit commission plan.

Hopefully they all choke on their own vomit.

If so, he really better not go there. People may not vote Republican, but that doesn't mean they would vote for a traitor Democrat either--once word got out. If my Democratic Senator supported this crap, I would do a write-in. :grr:

He's also an early Obama supporter who appears to be in the President's pocket on this issue. Durbin was re-elected to the Senate by an overwhelming margin in 2008.

But once a deal is settled on in the back rooms, everybody will quickly jump on board, progressives, establishment Republicons, and tea partiers, then the President will sign off on this.

Remember the tax deal at the end of 2010? This will go down in the very same way.

he is just hiding out, in the bushes, and pushing ultra right policies.

by Obama's deficit commission in December"

Strange. I was assured on DU that this plan was dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

monitoring the direction of the blowing winds.

they sit on the sidelines and just let things play out.