Obama - only just better than the alternative

Barack Obama is way too conservative for my tastes. His recent foray into offering up cuts in Social Security and Medicare had me going nuts. What the hell is he doing?

From The Political Carnival

Hey, remember this?

V.P. Biden "flat guarantees" no changes in Social Security, which "effectively takes Social Security off the table."

So this happened: Obama budget would cut entitlements in exchange for tax increases:

    President Obama will release [has released] a budget next week that proposes significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security and fewer tax hikes than in the past, a conciliatory approach that he hopes will convince Republicans to sign onto a grand bargain that would curb government borrowing and replace deep spending cuts that took effect March 1. [...]

    Obama proposes, for instance, to change the cost-of-living calculation for Social Security in a way that will reduce benefits for most beneficiaries, a key Republican request that he had earlier embraced only as part of a compromise. Many Democrats say they are opposed to any Social Security cuts and are likely to be furious that such cuts are now being proposed as official administration policy. [...]

    Overall, the budget request reflects Obama's stark shift in strategy over the last month, as he has adopted a far more congenial posture toward the opposition…

    "Millions of working people, seniors, disabled veterans, those who have lost a loved one in combat, and women will be extremely disappointed if President Obama caves into the long-standing Republican effort to cut Social Security," Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, said earlier this week, after reports surfaced that Obama might include the change in his budget.

    "In 2008, candidate Barack Obama told the American people that he would not cut Social Security. Having him go back on his word will only add to the rampant political cynicism that our country is experiencing today."