Ugh

A Republican member of the powerful, deficit-slashing supercommittee vowed this week that the panel won’t touch benefits under Social Security and Medicare.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said it’s “critical” that current enrollees in those entitlement programs “not see benefit reductions.”

“It’s awfully hard to tell someone … who might be 82, that they’ve gotta go back to work, because their benefits are gonna be chopped,” Upton said Tuesday during a town-hall gathering in Kalamazoo, Mich. “That’s not gonna happen. We’re not gonna allow that to happen.”

It is stupidity like this that has awakened this country’s responsible citizens to their disgust and bleeding out these GOP establishment career congressmen.  Upton is afraid of trying to be portrayed as robbing seniors, etc.  Ah yes, negotiating from a position of fear is never good and has proven to be the GOP’s leadership Achilles’ heel for decades now.  So lets throw down our stake with another untenable starting negotiating position.  The Democrats’ reaction on the Super Committee will dig their heels in regards to future enrollees in with the advantage that Upton just gave them. Sounds a lot like what happened with the debt ceiling compromise bill, doesn’t it?

Fred Upton needs a primary challenger in 2012.