Senate Democrats reacted angrily Thursday to a report that President Obama has proposed significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security in closed-door talks with GOP leaders.
Democratic lawmakers said they were dismayed to read about Obama’s offer in the press rather than hearing it from the president himself. Their frustration is exacerbated by Obama’s snub of their invitation to speak to the Senate Democratic caucus Wednesday...
...“We would have preferred to hear it from the president instead of from the press,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.), a senior member of the Senate Democratic conference. “We first have to go after tax earmarks.” [Ed: WTF?]...* * * * * * * * *
The debt-ceiling talks seem to be occurring in “a parallel universe,” Mikulski said. “The base is quite cheerless right now,” she added.
The White House appears to be gambling that Democrats, even if they gripe, will ultimately rally around the deal the president cuts, as they did last year on a tax package and this year on a continuing resolution funding the government through October... But any deal will still need votes from Senate Democrats and likely some House Democrats. And Democrats worked Thursday to suggest limits to what they will accept.
...But Democrats signaled they may not accept a deal that pairs immediate entitlement cuts with the prospect of future revenue increases.
In a statement, David Krone, Reid’s chief of staff, said spending and revenue should be balanced “in terms of timing, specificity and dollars.”
Balanced. Kind of like how the Democrats crammed Obamacare down the throats of the American people. And the Frank-Dodd "financial reform" bill. And the "Stimulus", which was -- of course -- "shovel-ready".
Republicans: hold the line. No hiking the debt ceiling without a balanced budget amendment.
As an aside, that Barbara Mikulski is quite the hottie.
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