Press conference blues

I had this e-mail today, responding to the Monday press 

conference of President Obama, from Adam Green and some

other bold progressives. There's really nothing to add, 

so here goes: 

BREAKING: Today, in a press conference, President Obama came right out and said it: He's pushing for benefit cuts in important programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Will you join 160,000 others who signed this urgent pledge, which we'll deliver to the Obama campaign?

"President Obama: If you cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits for me, my family, or families like mine, don't ask for a penny of my money or an hour of my time in 2012. I'm going to focus on electing bold progressive candidates who will fight to protect our Democratic legacy."

For those of us who worked tirelessly to elect  Obama in 2008, here are the 3 most depressing quotes from today's press conference:

1) "We’re going to have a sales job. This is not pleasant. It is hard to persuade people to do hard stuff that entails trimming benefits and increasing revenues."

Significance: This is the first time Obama admitted he is pushing "benefit" cuts that would hurt our grandparents, kids, and the disabled -- not just "savings" like negotiating lower drug prices.

2) "I want to be crystal clear -- nobody has talked about increasing taxes now. Nobody has talked about increases -- increasing taxes next year."

Significance: Polling shows that by 4 to 1, Americans want taxes increased on the rich. The "millionaires tax" proposed by House progressives would raise $1 trillion -- helping to take benefit cuts off the table. By his own admission, Obama is not even asking for this!

3) "The vast majority of Democrats on Capitol Hill would prefer not to have to do anything on entitlements; would prefer, frankly, not to have to do anything on some of these debt and deficit problems."

Significance: The House Progressive Caucus proposed balancing the budget by taxing the rich, making companies like GE pay taxes, ending the wars, and other popular, progressive proposals. By his own admission, Obama didn't even try for these – and then he attacks progressive Democrats with false, right-wing talking points.

-- Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Michael Snook, Forrest Brown, and the PCCC team

P.S. Here's a bonus Obama statement from today:

"With respect to Social Security, Social Security is not the source of our deficit problems....the reason to include that potentially in this package is if you’re going to take a bunch of tough votes, you might as well do it now, as opposed to trying to muster up the political will to get something done further down in the future."

Seriously??? Why is a Democratic president going out of his way to help Republicans cut Social Security??? That's just wrong.