Progressive Opinion

alternet.org — When Barry Goldwater ran for president as a genuine conservative back in 1964 he was often labeled as an "extremist." His campaign responded to this criticism with the slogan: "extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice." Goldwater's descendants are swarming the political playing field these days in their efforts to attack Social Security and Medicare. They have no qualms about making assertions that are deceptive and inaccurate. And they are not above appeals to nationalistic/racist sentiments to advance their case. The slogan for the current crew could be "xenophobia in pursuit of Social Security cuts is no vice." This xenophobia comes out most directly in their stories that tie the budget deficit to borrowing from foreigners, with China always being mentioned as the big lender to raise fears. This presumably scores well in the fear factor with focus groups, but it has nothing to do with economic reality.

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thenation.com — A White House deficit commission is reportedly considering deep benefit cuts for Social Security, including a steep rise in the retirement age. We cannot let that happen. The deficit and our $13 trillion national debt are serious problems that must be addressed, but we can and must address them without punishing America’s workers, senior citizens, the disabled, widows and orphans. The hatred of Social Security from the right-wing anti-government crowd is based on the fact that Social Security, a government program, has been enormously successful in accomplishing its mission. For 75 years, in good times and bad, Social Security has provided financial security for tens of millions of Americans.

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truth-out.org — That's the question that people should be asking their current or would be representatives in Congress. With the huge baby boom cohort at the edge of retirement, there are few issues that will matter more directly to the people who will vote in the November elections.The threat to cut Social Security should be taken seriously right now since two of the would be cutters are former Sen. Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, the co-chairs of President Obama's deficit commission. Key figures in the Congressional leadership of both parties have also indicated an interest in cutting Social Security. This attack on Social Security can be stopped if the public is aware of it. Specifically, they can refuse to vote for candidates who will not promise to protect Social Security from the Simpson-Bowles gang.

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firedoglake.com — In the aftermath of the Great Recession, a debate over Social Security is heating up. This debate raises fundamental questions about the kind of society in which Americans wish to live. So far, the debate has been between deficit-busters who say Social Security must be trimmed back to reduce government indebtedness and others who want to maintain it as is.

But the New America Foundation just released a study that proposes a different approach: doubling the current Social Security payout, and making it a true national retirement system. Creating a more robust system of “Social Security Plus” not only would be good for American retirees, but also would be good for the greater macro economy.

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thenation.com — Every savvy player in the Capital knows what President Obama has in mind--whack Social Security benefits to lure Republicans into a grand deal on raising taxes. Senator Trash Mouth keeps messing up the plan, however, by provoking outrage with his tasteless zingers. Anyway, Alan Simpson is not nearly as bad as some political reporters at the New York Times and other leading newspapers who dutifully repeat the establishment's falsehoods and distortions about Social Security.

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Social Security turned 75 last week. It should have been a joyous occasion, a time to celebrate a program that has brought dignity and decency to the lives of older Americans. But the program is under attack, with some Democrats as well as nearly all Republicans joining the assault. Rumor has it that President Obama’s deficit commission may call for deep benefit cuts, in particular a sharp rise in the retirement age. Social Security’s attackers claim that they’re concerned about the program’s financial future. But their math doesn’t add up, and their hostility isn’t really about dollars and cents. Instead, it’s about ideology and posturing. And underneath it all is ignorance of or indifference to the realities of life for many Americans. more »

truth-out.org — Americans will learn to love health care reform, just as they did Social Security, if it’s made to work for all of them. At the heart of the right-wing attack on the new health care law’s individual mandate is the fact that law has the potential to become like Social Security, a popular entitlement that is an integral part of the American social fabric. Whether that promise is realized depends on no small measure on whether Congress will make improvements over time in the health care law to assure that health coverage is affordable.

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cepr.net — Confused readers may wonder based on its lead editorial complaining that supporters of Social Security: "pursue a maddening strategy of minimizing the existence of any problem and accusing those who seek solutions of trying to destroy Social Security (emphasis added)."

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tnr.com — If you're advocating permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts, and you get asked about the impact on the budget, you have a few options. The first is to insist that deficits don't matter. The second is to argue that tax cuts cause revenues to rise. #1 is tricky given that pretty much everybody who favors the Bush tax cuts has spent the last year and a half painting the national debt as a danger likely to destroy the American way of life. #2 is starting to draw intense skepticism from the national press crops. That leaves you with option three -- blather incoherently:

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nytimes.com — What we have in Afghanistan is a war that most Americans believe is not worth fighting — and certainly not worth raising taxes to pay for. President Obama has not made a compelling case for the war and has set a deadline for the start of withdrawal that seems curiously close to the anticipated start of his 2012 campaign for a second term. It’s time to bring the curtain down for good on these tragic, farcical wars. The fantasy of democracy blossoming at the point of a gun in Iraq and spreading blithely throughout the Middle East has been obliterated. For those who haven’t noticed, we have a nation that needs rebuilding here at home. Maybe we could muster some shared sacrifice on that front.

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