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2023 State Of The Union Address

Cheerful Charlie

Cheerful Charlie

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Biden's State Of The Union address was interesting. Biden himself was in no way exhibiting mental decline like the nut job media keep insisting. He was most emphatic that he would veto any attempts to slash Social Security or Medicare. He masterfully labelled that as a GOP minority view, which put House speaker McCarthy on the spot. Biden spoke out forcefully on a range of issues. Deal with multibillion dollar propheting big corporations that pay no taxes. Funding the IRS to go after wealthy tax cheats. Price gouging and profiteering from big corporations. Drug costs and more. Bringing back industry and manufactoring to America. And more. He was pretty forceful, but left an off ramp fot the GOP to kneecap the GOP loonies. He stated he will actively veto any bad GOP policies passed in the House. And touted recent economic numbers. Most jobs created in decades. Dropping inflation rates.

Biden has set an ambitious agenda for 2023 and is going to meet the GOP House head on. 2023 is going to be interesting as Biden is setting an ambitious agenda. Some GOP clowns were surly and loud. Boobert and MTG. I didn't feel like sticking around for the GOP reaction. Perhaps I will watch that tomorrow. McCarthy now has a choice. Work with Biden on a sensible agenda or give in to the loonies and see that effort end in the Senate and vetoed. Biden threw down a gauntlet hard to ignore. Cleverly done!
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
I didn't feel like sticking around for the GOP reaction. Perhaps I will watch that tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Probably something about drag queen story time, CRT, and how "they're trying to take your gas stoves!"

You know...the important issues that Americans care about.
 
It looks like Biden is picking a fight oved Ss et al. It is going to be the Democratic wedge issue for 2024. Also from the GOP are schemes to privatize SS, schemes to consider reorganizing SS (TRUST) and other attacks on ACA, et al. Biden's sarcastic comments "some Republicans" want to cut SS drews loud reactions from some GOP audience members. But it is true, some are, which in essence drives a wedge between the SS radicals and Republicans who are realizing it is a third rail issue. Which is why Biden was obviouly amused at the GOP reaction.
 
Haven't watched the SOTU, or the response. But the line of the night must be from Huckabible Sanders:

“The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.”

She is 100% accurate here... but probably a little confused as to which side she is on.
 
Trump wanted to slash SS and Medicare. Wants to run as President again.

....
Trump’s FY21 budget proposal called for a net cut of $480 billion from Medicare and $24 billion from Social Security programs.

Trump’s FY20 budget proposed cutting $575 billion from Medicare and $26 billion from Social Security programs.

Trump’s FY19 budget proposed cutting $554 billion from Medicare and $72.5 billion from SSDI and Supplemental Security Income.

Trump’s FY18 budget proposed a $70 billion cut to SSDI benefits.
....

democrats.org

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: House Republicans Are Targeting Social Security, Medicare - Democrats

democrats.org democrats.org
 
From The Guardian

...
A day after the treasury department announced the federal budget deficit had reached $779bn, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said popular government programs, not massive tax cuts passed by Republicans last year, were to blame.

Independent analyses have found the tax cuts have caused the deficit to balloon faster than predicted. In an interview with Bloomberg News on Tuesday, however, McConnell rejected that argument.

Citing federal spending on healthcare and retirement benefits such as Medicare, Medicaid and social security, McConnell said changes to such programs would require cooperation from Democrats.
....

Cutting SS, Medicare et al have long been GOP policy. The problem with all of that is these seemingly mild proposals from today's GOP are a camel's nose under the tent.
 
Worldtraveller said:
You're not supposed to quote thier own words! That's fake news.
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Ah, but you see, they don't care.

This is as old as time. I remember watching them on Meet the Press. Every Sunday Tim Russert would ask a question, the Rep or Senator would spout a politically expedient line, Tim would play a clip of them saying pretty much the opposite in the past, and they'd stonewall their way through it. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When they propose ending those programs - and they will - you can hit them with something like the above tweet, and they'll dodge, stonewall, or out and out lie. Because they don't care about being "caught" flip-flopping or having a different private opinion than their public statements.

Also because this is the long game. They've been trying to get rid of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for longer than the fight to overturn Roe. Like abortion, this is an ideological fight, and they don't give a shit that those programs are popular with the American public and help millions of Americans.

When they put pen to paper and draw up a bill, someone will no doubt say "but the Democrats will play the tape of our reaction to Biden's SOTU speech."

They will reply: "And...?"

Getting them to reluctantly stand up in favor of those programs was good political theater on Biden's part, but it doesn't change the fact that Republicans want to gut those programs. They always have, and always will.
 
CBO figures show U.S. discretionary spending for 2023 is $1.6 trillion. The 2023 deficirs are estimated to be $1.2 trillion. SS and Medicare are not discretionary spending. Obviously, balancing the budget with spending cuts alone is impossibe. Unless we slash SS and Medicare deeply. The GOP still operates on the Norquist pledge to never raise taxes for any reason.
 
We are close to the point where we can stop funding the military and discretionary spending... and not have a balanced budget. And non-military discretionary spending has been becoming a smaller and smaller piece of the pie every year.

Watching the GOP trying fuck America over with Medicare and SS is quite something, especially when they don't have the balls to be up front with the people about it.

From what I've heard, Biden was good again with his speech. I think it is something that people think he hasn't accomplished much, when he accomplished about 400% more than he probably should have with the GOP minority in the Senate being 41+.
 
The GOP nearly achieved SS and Medicare during the Obama administration. Refusing to raise the debt cieling to force these cuts. Obama nearly agreed until bitter arguments among the GOP ended their attempt.

Before he became President, Ronald Reagan was a bitter enemy of Medicare. Labelling that as "Socialized Medicine" that had to be eliminated. Reagan actually managed to get some SS cuts in his early years as president. None of this is new.
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
We are close to the point where we can stop funding the military and discretionary spending... and not have a balanced budget. And non-military discretionary spending has been becoming a smaller and smaller piece of the pie every year.

Watching the GOP trying fuck America over with Medicare and SS is quite something, especially when they don't have the balls to be up front with the people about it.

From what I've heard, Biden was good again with his speech. I think it is something that people think he hasn't accomplished much, when he accomplished about 400% more than he probably should have with the GOP minority in the Senate being 41+.
Click to expand...

Like Hanlon's razor states, "Never attribute to malice that that can be adequately explained by stupidity". Perhaps a majority of these GOP deficit hawks don't understand these economic facts. We cannot cut the budget to a balanced budget with crippling cuts to SS, Medicare, Medicaid et al.
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
Jimmy Higgins said:
We are close to the point where we can stop funding the military and discretionary spending... and not have a balanced budget. And non-military discretionary spending has been becoming a smaller and smaller piece of the pie every year.

Watching the GOP trying fuck America over with Medicare and SS is quite something, especially when they don't have the balls to be up front with the people about it.

From what I've heard, Biden was good again with his speech. I think it is something that people think he hasn't accomplished much, when he accomplished about 400% more than he probably should have with the GOP minority in the Senate being 41+.
Click to expand...

Like Hanlon's razor states, "Never attribute to malice that that can be adequately explained by stupidity". Perhaps a majority of these GOP deficit hawks don't understand these economic facts. We cannot cut the budget to a balanced budget with crippling cuts to SS, Medicare, Medicaid et al.
Click to expand...
I suppose the interesting part would be that to get rid of Social Security would mean getting rid of FICA. So even if we got rid of Social Security tomorrow, the gap in the debt wouldn't close all too much.

Regarding GOP maneuvers on Social Security and Medicare, W tried for a month to get America behind his "privatization" plan on Social Security. That went south of the border when people learned it'd actually increase the US debt by a trillion or so... and required 2 or 3% annual gains to break even.
 
marc said:
Haven't watched the SOTU, or the response. But the line of the night must be from Huckabible Sanders:

“The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.”

She is 100% accurate here... but probably a little confused as to which side she is on.
Click to expand...
Empty store shelves? Why not blame Biden for Avian Flu? At least that actually exists. Empty shelves stopped being a thing at all a year ago. And even then, very temporary.
 
Down here in Texas, we have some empty store shelf issues now. Due to winter ice storms. I am sure much of the U.S. is now having similar issues.
 
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