Then we have to hear the noise from the Obama White House that the President is willing to raise the age one is qualified to receive medicare. This is a mind blower.



According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations — including both Republicans and Democrats — the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.

Damn, you got to be DEAD or damn near to get your rightful retirement monies, the same monies you have worked your whole life for and paid through taxes. This movement is bad policy, bad politics and won't play well out here in the real world.

I have also come to the conclusion that Barack Obama will never fight for anything. Compromise, do what ever to go along and get along, that is him but fight, he won't. We saw it through the health care battle, we saw him cave into extending the Bush Tax Cuts (which is part of the problem that put him in this dilemma) and now we are seeing him ready to under cut his own health care law just to make a deal.

Pathetic.

During the press conference, the last question was on jobs. What I walked away from is that his excuse is we don't have enough money for a big jobs bill, program. This is astounding. Why? We are about to cut monies from programs that many poor, minority, middle class voters need, while the unemployment number continues to tick upwards along with few jobs being created. I admit and we all know that President Obama walked into his office with massive unemployment and job loss. We also know that he has, in part, stopped the bleeding. But we also know that little has been done by this White House on the tangible for many Americans out of work, job creation. Since we are acknowledging we don't have any money for a jobs program, why are we continuing down the road of giving Iraq, Afghanistan 2 billion dollars a week? We also know that one thing that is needed in this country on the massive cut list is that defense budget. To cut the defense budget takes political courage and we also know we don't have that in the White House.

The Democrats are entering very dangerous waters. The public will not sit by and allow them to cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. If you want proof of that, remember the NY-26 special election race? A race that Democrat Kathy Hocul won? Remember that race? What we witnessed was Independents and enough Republicans in droves voted for Hocul. Their premise? Afraid of Medicare being destroyed dismantled, not being there for them when they approach the age mark. This is what drove Hocul's win, not telling people that the program needs to be cut, changed, thrown out but it needs to be preserved, saved and available for all who reach that age bracket. You would think the White House understands this, but by their actions they are clearly out of touch.

Now is not the time to celebrate. We have a Democratic President who is willing to destroy, cripple, break down landmark programs that have identified the Democratic Party. He is willing to compromise democratic ideals to get a deal; because he does not have the fortitude to fight for what is right. Or, he just don't like the confrontation and is willing to take any deal to take it off the table. He has done this repeatedly, so for this we should not be shocked but to attempt to dismantle the corner stone of the Democratic Party's legend, we should be shocked.

Someone wrote that this is a political move by the President. Then I say, if so, this type of political chess is extremely dangerous. It is moves like this that make many more distrusting of this White House by the day. And can we get SOMEBODY who knows how to negotiate? Barack Obama is one of the lousiest negotiators we have had chance to witness. A man who shows his cards before his foe even sit at the table. We surely can do better than this.

Finally, going forward don't listen to Barack Obama. Pay attention to what he does. We have listened enough to know it is easy to say words, but it is your action that counts. He can give all the rhetorical speeches that he wants, but the only thing that matters at this point is the outcome. And for many progressives, with the current climate, the outcome has been anemically weak.