The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Obama's Social Insecurity

Text Size

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised to see President Obama raise the spectre of next month's Social Security checks not being mailed out if Republicans don't agree to his plan to raise the debt ceiling. After all, Democratic politicians have for decades been scaring the bejesus out of seniors that Republicans are going take away their Social Security benefits. Of course, the reason Democrats have been deploying this tactic is because it usually works.

But as Joe Lawler points out it is quite possible that Social Security payments even if a deal isn't reached by the August 2nd deadline. In which case, President Obama is engaging in the sort of demagoguery which could leave a bad taste in the mouths of voters. Frankly, Obama ought to have sidestepped Scott Pelley's question and said something to the effect, "That would be speculative," or "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves, here."

When Obama says he cannot guarantee that Social Security checks will be issued he's effectively throwing his hands up and telling us, "Don't expect a deal between my administration and the Republicans." At a time when he should be reassuring us, Obama is creating an atmosphere of social insecurity.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, could you imagine the furor there would have been if George W. Bush had said he couldn't guarantee Social Security checks would be mailed out to seniors? Democrats and their allies would have denounced Bush as a man declaring war on seniors faster than you could say WMDs.

But this is happening under Barack Obama's watch. He is the leader of the free world and it's about time he started acting like it.

View all comments (12) | Leave a comment

Clint| 7.14.11 @ 3:24AM

More Obama Shuck & Jive.

We'll See If The Stupid Party Calls His Bluff Or Capitulates Again.

Then, They'll Give Us The RINO-CINO Mittens Romney

beebop| 7.14.11 @ 5:27AM

Why the hell do I allow this madministration to continue to get my payroll deductions to bank roll this scam? I think that those of us who WORK, pay taxes and see portions of our income disappear down the rat hole of DC should just STOP .... let's deposit these payments in our own lock boxes for two weeks.

I bet those government workers who contribute to their pension schemes versus SS will get theirs, won't they?

It is time for this small "p" president to eat his damn peas!

Handy| 7.14.11 @ 5:34AM

Don't cave in Republicans. This is a unique opportunity to expose SS and Medicare for what they are: Sources of revenues-in and expenditures-out of the General Fund. There is no lock box.

The oldest Boomers only started cashing in four years ago. The youngest ones have the privilege of paying FICA an Medicare for t least 16 more years. There aren't enough of the Greedy Geezers left, outside Florida, for any politician to give them much thought. Besides, they have already taken out much more than they ever put in.

It is time to expose these fraudulent schemes, and to eliminate them. It is doubtful that Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers would put up much of a fuss, if they could just opt-out.

Clint| 7.14.11 @ 5:38AM

"Debt Ceiling Betrayal Petition to:
My Representative and Senators
Whereas: The American people put the Republicans back in power in 2010 to stop the runaway spending in Washington, D.C.; and
Whereas: Republican House Speaker John Boehner may yet give in to Barack Obama's "debt ceiling deal" that involves a trillion dollars in tax increases and includes mostly phony spending and tax "cuts;" and
Whereas: Virtually every time deals have been cut in Washington, D.C., massive tax hikes follow, while the promised spending cuts never come; and
Whereas: House Republicans would be foolish to go for this ploy and be taken in by the Obama Administration, only to leave the American taxpayers on the hook yet again for more out-of-control government spending;
Therefore: I demand that you stand up to the political establishment by rejecting any business-as-usual compromise on the debt ceiling. Instead, I urge you to join Ron Paul in signing the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" pledge immediately if you have not yet done so."

Rosetta Stone | 7.14.11 @ 5:50AM

An extremely intriguing read, I may well not agree fully, but you do make some very valid points.

Pecos Pete| 7.14.11 @ 6:46AM

The President threatens to stop Social Security payments. He is supposed to be the President of all the people. Obviously King O is using the fears of Social Security stoppage to scare retirees into applying pressure on Republican members of the House.

Where are the Democrats? Are they willing to let King O threaten seniors?

King O is simply immoral to even broach stopping Social Security payments. He is not seriously negotiating when he uses these type of scare tactics.

F. D. Asaro| 7.14.11 @ 8:09AM

When will this nightmare end...Mr. O needs to go!

David W| 7.14.11 @ 8:44AM

Obama is a coward. Instead of getting his hands dirty and helping to solve the problem he uses "bully" threats to get his way. If SS checks are not mailed or our troops are not paid it is because HE has decided it. The Treasury has all sorts of options. There are so many other things that would be "stopped" before SS Checks and Troop payments. However Obama will personally direct the Treasury to bypass the cuts that make sense and attack the seniors and the military. It will be on his head. I just hope the Republicans have the courage to stand up and say "make my day."

Bob Grant| 7.14.11 @ 10:43AM

I believe Obama's actions/inactions alone are causing so much uncertainty in the business community and the country in general that it's effects add to the lack of consumer confidence and business expansion.

Every action seems to be on the fly with no cohesion whatsoever. We all know his inclinations are leftist but when he tries to play politics it goes horribly, horribly wrong for him.

Take, for instance, his agreement to extend the Bush tax cuts in December only to change course 180 degrees in less than six months. This incoherence is extremely disruptive to the economy. His budget proposal - and the do-over several months later - brings similar results.

We have all blogged the past several years that he is in over his head and simply does not have the skill set to be president, and now we are witnessing what that bears, and the destruction it's causing the country.

He's not a serious man. You now get the sense he deep down knows he's not cut out for the job.

Aarradin| 7.14.11 @ 10:59AM

"He is the leader of the free world" shhh, don't tell Obama.

I think they retired that phrase along with the "War on Terror". I almost never hear it used any more, and certainly NEVER by the administration or any of its supporters.

Remember: Obama believes the US is NOT a leader on the world stage, and should not be. We are just one vote at the UN. We have no more say in the world than the leaders of Yemen (if anyone can figure out who's actually running that country on any given day), nor should we have any more say than them.

Wayne | 7.14.11 @ 11:23AM

It was a telling moment and a stupid comment. Now the seniors KNOW Obama does not have their back. He will abandon them before he would give up on free health care for illegal aliens. He is at the bottom of the pecking order, much like his grandma.
He tipped them off on his priorities. It was a dumb comment that will cost him and Democrats in 2012. Eventually after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, their will be some type of agreement, but this comment will stick.

yisong| 10.29.11 @ 2:14AM

slewing bearing can be widely used in heavy platform vehicle, container cranes, truck crane, high-altitude vehicles, sun-following solar power systems engineering and the new field of energy. http://www.1stbearing.com