Is Barack Obama a Courageous Deficit Hawk?


Steve Steckler thinks so, saying at The Arena:

[K]udos to Obama for so boldly bring Medicare (and Social Security) into the conversation regarding fiscal discipline. The one big hope I have for Obama — a hopefulness encouraged by his selection of economic advisors — is that his enormous popularity, especially among liberals and labor/elderly constituencies that normally block reform — will give him enough confidence that he can tackle the country’s most politically intractable problems without threatening his re-election in 2012.

Naturally, I disagree; as I wrote at The Arena, I find it ironic that Mr. Steckler or anybody else can pair the terms “Obama” and “fiscal discipline” with a straight face. Yesterday, president-elect Obama — a man ascending to the presidency of a nation that has never once posted a trillion dollar deficit — almost boastfully promised “trillion-dollar deficits for years to come” once he takes office.

This, of course, stands in sharp contrast to the promise Mr. Obama made in the second presidential debate when he said, “What I’ve proposed, you’ll hear Sen. McCain say, well, he’s proposing a whole bunch of new spending, but actually I’m cutting more than I’m spending so that it will be a net spending cut.”

It is no surprise, of course, that Mr. Obama’s promise to decrease the deficit — not to more than double its current record level - was yet another of his positions that had an unannounced expiration date.

Pursuant to Mr. Steckler’s “kudos” to Mr. Obama for the courage he showed in broaching the topics of Medicare and Social Security, the current unfunded liability of those programs is $101.7 trillion. To put that in perspective, the entire U.S. economy is a mere $14 trillion.

$52 trillion is already pledged to people who have paid into the system and thus earned these benefits (both must be taken, as federal law currently - and absurdly - prevents social security enrollees from declining Medicare benefits), meaning a massive overhaul of the benefit, payment, and regulatory system must be undertaken now in order to avoid an economic catastrophe that will make the current meltdown seem insignificant in comparison.

Does Obama have the courage to tell the tens of millions of Americans who have paid into the Medicare and Social Security systems that their benefits will be severely cut in order to maintain even a semblance of solvency in the federal treasury? And, in that unlikely event, will a Congress that is far more interested in gaining reelection than in solving future problems provide a single ounce of assistance?

That is a highly dubious proposition. However, I will be happy to sit back and watch Mr. Obama’s actions before judging him on Medicare and Social Security (as well as on deficit spending). In exchange, simply do me the favor of not asking that I judge his words and intentions alone, rather than evaluating him by his actions and results.

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11 Comments Leave a comment

What happens when

10ksnooker Thursday, January 8th at 7:26PM EST (link)

When you add trillion dollar deficits to the conversation regarding fiscal discipline, what do you have?

Life has become a sitcom.

 

My only hope....

DRW Thursday, January 8th at 7:39PM EST (link)

“The one big hope I have for Obama “….

Not to threadjack, but since you have two defeated teams playing for a nat’l championship tonight when you have an undefeated team lucky to get in the top 5 at the end, the biggest realistic hope I have for our President-elect is to promote getting rid of the BCS. Something I can agree on with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WDuQe89kJM

Take your Utah-loving hide elsewhere

Jeff Emanuel Thursday, January 8th at 7:43PM EST (link)

BOOMERSOONER!! ;-)

JE

 
 

Deficit Hawk

DerKrieger Thursday, January 8th at 8:39PM EST (link)

Democrats are notorious for changing the language so if he, the MSM, and liberals across the country call him a hawk at some point it must be true.

In other news, I heard Obama say yesterday that ONLY government can rescue the economy. My question to the economic illiterate is, “how do you know?” For Obama and the socialists this is an opportunity to transform us into a Euro style socialist state. Even if there were absolute proof that the free market would cause the economy to recover faster than government stimulus they wouldn’t care because that is not their game. How many layoffs could be avoided if the corporate and capital gains taxes were slashed or eliminated? We could lead the world out of this rather quickly of that were to happen. But, that is not their goal. Their goal is the indentured servitude of each and every tax paying American to their tax collecting neighbors. Their goal is to make us all equal, in poverty. Socialism and socialists are evil.

“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” - Thomas Jefferson

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence (OBAMACARE – mine), the money of their constituents.” – James Madison

 

BO

OccamsRazor Thursday, January 8th at 8:58PM EST (link)

is this country’s ‘hail Mary pass’ (pun intended) when all we need is Reagan. The worst of this is that the wrong policies will be enacted at exactly the wrong time. I don’t think this administration is wise enough to broaden it’s thoughts past the apparent desperation that got it elected and won’t adapt enough to the failures to come.

There’s no 2012 for this elect, politics in this country is accelerating.

I am not about doom and gloom personally, but in the context of this thread, we may end pulling Duestchlander pre WWII enconomic policy, or more recently, Brazil.

Just fun food for thought. :)

 

BHO sounding like Paulson

woodsman Thursday, January 8th at 9:58PM EST (link)

The sky is falling and we have to spend money now, so you may as well get used to it.

This is being used as a cover tactic for all of the spending the Lib’s want to do over the next two years. By trying to “give the conservatives” a potential tax break, I suspect he wants to use this as an incentive to get the R’s on board with his spending plans. Then if something really bad occurs he and his buddies can say they were with us, so we are not totally to blame.

The lasting wounds to the markets from this approach are concerning…

 

There won't be money to continue Social Security

Old_Crow Thursday, January 8th at 10:29PM EST (link)

or Medicaid status quo after the stimulus. At some point foreign investors will flee, and we won’t be able to lard up our national charge card any further. I don’t see this ending well.

Social Security is in trouble for many of the same reasons GM is. For both, there are too many retirees supported by too few current workers. GM management did not force changes when times were good (just keep paying those bonuses). And the Govt didn’t adjust SS to account for longer lifespans and fewer children.

Unfortunately, the elderly have limited choices. Many cannot go back to work now. Savings have been hurt during the recession, and since this looks like it will last at least through the end of 2010, there are few opportunities to make up for lost retirement funds. SS and Medicaid will have to be cut back too, probably within 3-4 years.

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison
“So this is how liberty dies.. with thunderous applause” — Star Wars III

I just hope it lasts

izoneguy Thursday, January 8th at 11:19PM EST (link)

for my parents (72 & 70) I know I want get anything back.
I don’t mind paying for my parents but I don’t want my kids to
pay for nothing.

“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson

 
 

No one seems to realize...

Fred Maidment Thursday, January 8th at 10:55PM EST (link)

…that we are rapidly approaching a time when our national debt will actually exceed our national income. GDP last year was $14 trillion. Our debt is $10 trillion. Obama is claiming multiple years of trillion-dollar deficits. This year’s deficit just might be $2.5 trillion, which means we’ll be spending almost double what our current tax revenues are.

Even if our economy grows at the inflation-neutral rate of 3%, in two years our debt will exceed our income. If somehow the “stimulus package” (read: “poverty-class manufacturing, vote-buying scheme”) somehow manages to grow our economy at 10% per year (which far exceeds China’s burgeoning 7.8% growth rate) and the deficit falls to $1 trillion per year after 2009, by the end of Obama’s first term we’ll be worse off than we are today.

By the way, 10% growth for the next four years would mean a $20.5 trillion economy in 2012. Not bloody likely, no matter how much “stimulus” we have.

How to Start a Business - Fred’s News

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“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
- - Thomas Jefferson, to Archibald Stuart, 1791

 

Chief Performace Officer, United States Of America - There really is such a position now.

Kenny Solomon Thursday, January 8th at 11:11PM EST (link)

OK, so everything’s out of control and according to our next president, government is now spending tons of dollars on services not needed …. you know, like a national defense, border protection, energy exploration and other things like that.

So coming to the rescue, we have The One with a brand new department - The Office Of Performance and there’s a Chief Performance Officer at the helm. Her name is Nancy Killefer, a former Assistant Treasury Secretary in the Clinton Administration and current director at McKinsey & Company, a global management and consulting firm.

Meet Nancy Killefer, Chief Performance Officer

An efficiency expert being paid by unfunded tax dollars. Somehow, that’s thoroughly fitting under The One’s plans.

——————-

Momma don’t let your babies grow up to be liberals.
Let ‘em be soldiers and sailors, their tough.
If you send ‘em to college, oh boy that’s just rough.

Momma don’t let your babies grow up to be liberals.
School ‘em yourself ’cause you know what’s the best.
They’ll build their own business and beat all the rest !

——————-

Cheers !

Of course you can have my guns……. Bullets first.
I didn’t say rounds, shells or magazines……
I said bullets first.

 

Steve_Steckler points out that Obmamanation

olsmithie Thursday, January 8th at 11:32PM EST (link)

is very effective at running his mouth, He fails to point out the Obamanation is extremely bankrupt on results.

After BO’s lying for months to get elected, he will have to forgive me if I have doubts about his sincerity of revising Medicare or Social Insecurity.

Believing anything he says requires “suspending belief” on my part. BO, I’m not that stupid, go talk to your disciples at the NYT, they will buy anything you say.

Regards

 

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