So much for political capital. President Barack Obama once again thumbed his nose at his progressive base, proving that he is the second coming of Dwight Eisenhower and not Franklin Roosevelt as he moves to the right with his offer in negotiations over the so-called fiscal cliff.
The offer, according to the Huffington Post,
would allow the payroll tax holiday to expire, meaning middle-class workers will see smaller paychecks in 2013. It also proposes a Social Security reform known as “chained CPI” that would reduce the benefits senior citizens receive through Social Security.
Additionally, Obama’s latest offer would permanently extend the Bush tax cuts for incomes of less than $400,000. Previously, the president had insisted that taxes increase on families with income above $250,000.
The offer comes two weeks after liberal groups expressed optimism that Obama and Congressional Democrats would hold firm, protect Social Security and push to have those that can best afford it pay the cost of balancing the budget.
An array of liberal and labor groups are currently running pressure campaigns out of longstanding concerns that the White House will cede too much ground in a deficit deal. And while they aren’t planning on disarming anytime soon, several activists told TPM that they’re cautiously optimistic that Democrats are heading into battle with the right goals and the leverage to obtain them.
“I think most people are buoyed by the fact the president seems intent on sticking with his demand that taxes go up on the top 2 percent even if it means going over the cliff,” Bob Borosage, president of the Institute for America’s Future, told TPM. “He’s been stronger than I might have anticipated.”
At the time, it did appear he was holding steady, which is what makes this rightward drift seem such a disappointment. And yet, progressive supporters of Obama should have expected this — and not just because he has shown himself to be a weak negotiator. Obama has avoided making a clear defense of Social Security — he has supported tweaks to an essentially sound program, he has said, while also saying he and Republican Mitt Romney had similar positions on the retirement program. He has endorsed raising the payroll tax ceiling — the amount an individual worker can pay into the system in a given year is capped — but has only agreed (twice) to unnecessary changes on the benefit side in an effort to appease Republicans.
In the end, of course, the only thing that matters is the actual alterations he puts on the table.
Hank Kalet 
I feel like I have been stabbed in the back. This is really despicable of the democrats to spit on their own legacy. Even Ike strengthened Social Security. However, the part of letting the tax holiday lapse is good. There never should have been a cut in the SS wage tax, instead just give a tax rebate or some other tax credit.. Hands off SS. Should I vote Green next time around?