Back in January, I wrote a piece called The very real attack on Obama’s mythical attack on Social Security where I talked about lefty pundits attacking President Obama for slashing Social Security, something he has never done and will not do. I was attacked myself in various venues for this piece. Those that I have described as “preemptive whingers” knew, just KNEW!, I tellzya, that it was going to happen. The so-called Catfood Commission was on a clear path to do so.
Turns out they were wrong.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says he doesn’t think Congress will address Social Security as part of an effort to reduce government borrowing.The Montana Democrat said Tuesday that Social Security has not added to the budget deficit, so it should not be included in a deficit reduction package. Baucus is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Vice President Joe Biden, who are trying to negotiate such a package.
Baucus said Social Security’s finances should be addressed in the next couple of years. But he also said the program is not in a crisis.
As Joan McCarter at Daily Kos puts it, “[b]ecause of his dual roles as Finance committee chair and a member of the Biden negotiating team, it’s pretty darned likely if he says it’s off the table, it’s off the table.”
In my original piece, I said this:
And when [the preemptive whingers] don’t have anything to get upset about, that’s no problem. They just invent something. Here’s the playbook for your reference:
- Read the day’s headlines.
- Determine a spin that characterizes the President and his administration in the worst possible light.
- If such a spin does not exist, postulate what the President and his administration’s response will be. Make sure that it is as negative as possible, even if it contradicts his past behavior.
- Write endless blogs on how the President has once again sold his “base” down the river and kicked hippies in the teeth (after punching them, of course.) It is not necessary for him to actually have done this. Your prediction that he WILL do this is sufficient.
- When what you predicted turns out to be quite wrong, ignore that and focus on the next day’s news item. No point in issuing a mea culpa. Just raise a fuss about something new and nobody will notice.
- Lather, rinse and repeat.
This has been the way it’s done for nigh on two years now and this week is no exception.
So, here we are, several months later. The preemptive whingers’ claim that the “Catfood Commission” would gut Social Security are being proved wrong. Will they now issue mea culpas, apologizing for issuing unfounded accusations, based on nothing to support their claims?
Magic Eight Ball says, “Outlook not so good.”
I’m sure the next round of hyberbolic fuss-making will proceed in three … two … one …
