Obama Offers Social Security & Medicare Cuts

President Barack Obama continues to handle negotiations with the terribly. Obama offered Social Security and Medicare cuts. The Republicans have refused to even consider ending tax breaks for corporate jets to help pay off the federal debt. Obama once again forgot which caucus backs him. Obama failed to tell the Democratic caucus that he was putting Medicare and Social Security on the table.

“We would have preferred to hear it from the president instead of from the press,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.), a senior member of the Senate Democratic conference. “We first have to go after tax earmarks.”

Mikulski and Sen. Kent Conrad that they are open to Social Security cuts. Social Security is running on a surplus. Republicans have long hated Social Security and wish to turn it into Chile dictator Augusto Pinochet's pension plan. Social Security isn't the cause of the federal debt.

Obama gave the the pay freeze to Republicans without getting nothing back. Obama dropped the public option to garner Republican votes. The result was House Republicans attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Obama's poor negotiating skills have created friction with the Democratic caucuses and the progressive base. Howie Klein urges progressives not to vote for President Obama in 2012.

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Best or Worst Headline of the Day

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. This headline does sum up what passes as policy thinking in Washington.

Sen. Conrad: Extend All Tax Cuts; Time to Get 'Serious' About Deficit

Tea Party Threatens Senate Parliamentarian

The Tea Party strategy of terror and intimidation continues. Teabaggers plan to protest in front of the the home of Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin. The role of the Parliamentarian is to advise the Preciding Officer (Which can be a member of the Senate or Vice-President) on the Standing Rules of the United States Senate. The Parliamentarian does not make policy. He merely advises the Senate or their rules of procedure.

That hasn't stopped the Tea Party activists from posting Frumin's address online. Sen. Kent Conrad told Fox News threats have been made against Frumin.

"The irony here is that he has people threatening him, but here's a guy who's held against us," Conrad said, referring to Frumin's ruling Wednesday night that will effectively send the bill back to the House because of minor changes.

The Tea Party blab on about how they support the Constitution. The Constitution states the Senate selects their officers. Frumin was appointed by both political parties.

Except for the Vice President, the Senate elects its own officers. The President pro tempore is usually the longest-serving member of the majority party. Other elected officers include a chaplain, secretary of the Senate, and sergeant at arms, who are not senators.

The Tea Party doesn't care about the Constitution. President Obama lowered taxes. These sociopaths just want to get their hate on.

Why the Public Option Failed in the Senate

Sen. Bill Nelson voted against the Jay Rockefeller amendment. Nelson did vote for the watered down public option amendment authored by Chuck Schumer.

"It seems to me that this is very important that we have this competition. It has all safeguards in it ..." Nelson said.

The Schumer amendment failed 10 to 13. All the cynical outreach efforts by President Barack Obama to get Republican votes failed. I previously wrote the Obama and Baucus were crafting legislation that would mandate citizens buying private insurance and protect pharmaceutical industry profits. Lindsey Graham explained to Ezra Klein that Obama never pressed Congress on the public option.

You make people afraid of opposing you or you get them rewarded for helping you. There's no fear for opposing Obama's public option, and the reward is for opposing it. Right now, Republicans feel no political exposure from opposing the president's health-care initiative.

Obama reneged on his campaign promise to hold open meetings with insurers and the pharmaceutical industry. Health insurers will get more customers and drug prices will continue to escalate. It is up to Nancy Pelosi and Democrats in the House of Representitives to keep the public option alive.

Update: the Democrats whom voted against the Rockefeller amendment were Max Baucus, Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln, Tom Carper and Nelson.

Suzanne Kosmas Interview

Interview with Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas in interviewed by an editorial board of the Orlando Sentinel. Kosmas makes it clear she does not favor a public option. Kosmas brings up tort reform to reduce health insurance. Charlie Crist and other Republicans thought the Cat fund was going to lower property and hurricane insurance. State Farm responded by raising fees by 47.1.

Kosmas is asked if she supports an individual mandate. The mandate would require everyone to buy public or private health insurance. Kosmas latches on to Kent Conrad's co-op health care plan. The problem with co-ops do not have the bargaining leverage of Medicare. That could change if a significant number of Americans are in the program. Conrad explains the co-op compromise to health care blogger Ezra Klein. Kosmas fails to explain why she favors co-op.

Kosmas keeps talking about Medicare having waste and fraud. Medicare's administrative cost is lower the private health insurance industry.

Kosmas: "All Americans have a streak of libertarian in them."

Short answer: Kosmas won't have a public townhall meeting to face the Right. The insurance industry is Kosmas leading campaign contributors. A female editor hinted to Kosmas that her spiel on "waste and cost" was intellectually lacking.

Kosmas proudly brags about being a Democrat whom wanted to health care bill slowed down. She stresses the bill must be bipartisan. Kosmas is only voting for the public option if it's in her political interest.