As you may have gathered by now, the deficit reduction plan offered by debt commission chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles is pretty unpopular, particularly on the left.
But one place it was well-received: The Charlie Rose Show, a comfortable place for CEOs and insiders to pontificate. The fact that this show is a staple of public television stations around the country is part of the problem FAIR identified inour new report, “Taking the Public Out of Public TV.”
The Rose show presented a discussion of the Simpson/Bowles plan on November 11.One guest, Harvard’s Martin Feldstein, had this to say:
There is a lot to like in it. I think that it is very bold. Every aspect of the fiscal problem has been put on the table. And yet when I looked at the numbers I thought it didn’t go far enough.
The other guest–David Walker of the Peter G.Peterson Foundation–countered with his take:
I think it was a courageous plan. It was very comprehensive. There were changes in every major aspect of the budget. It demonstrates that we are in such a deep hole that nothing can be off the table and you have to make some tough choices. Frankly, I think he could have been even more aggressive with respect to some of the reforms.
Walker went on tocomplain, “It is amazing how muchcontroversy there has been, especially from the left, with regard to the Social Security reform proposals, because they are not dramatic or draconian.” He added: “You get the far right and far left that are out of touch with reality, we need to come up with sensible center solutions.”
And just to make sure viewers knew that the guests weren’t outside agitators:
ROSE: Did both of you have an opportunity to wade in on this commission to make your views clear?
FELDSTEIN: I did have a chance to talk with some of the commission members about my views on this.
ROSE: David?
WALKER: I had a chance as well, plus it’s my understanding that most if not all of them read my book Comeback America.
Public television, giving voice to the voiceless.
If everyone paid their fair share into social security, there would not be a problem funding it. The only reform that social security needs is that everyone pay their fair share. Other than that, politicians, keep your hands off citizen’s retirement money. Use other funds to cover tax give-aways, wars, oil imports, and other bad foreign trade agreements.
Social Security has money in the bank- These statements to wreck SS are an old Republican stance since SS was created- the enemies of the workers have not changed but they continue to imagine a fantasy of how economics work to enable a continued rape of America!
Here it comes……Those evil old Republicans are coming to take your money.Kill and eat your children and rape America.Some things never change.
Michael e …. were you looking in the mirror when you issued that statement? You must be a devotee of Glen Beck! What a guy! A reincarnate of Rubert Murdock! Opps!Murdock is still living. What a world.
Mr. Walker (the Peter Pederson Foundation) fails to quote what happen to their sponsored “America Speaks” about a 1/2 year ago. From Philadelphia to Silicon Valley; from the mid-west to southern states; every location that participated stated by large margins not to cut Social Security & Medicare. In fact they said it should be increased. This was not the message they wanted or were expecting but the message that came from inform people who were there. These were a broad spectrum of Americans with no agenda. The Pederson Foundation as well as the chairs of the “Debt Commission” have a stated goal: Privatize Social Security by shifting $$$$$$$$$$ to Wall Street. Social Security pays for itself and is not a part of the cause of the national debt. Let the Bush Tax cuts expire; they only helped the top 2% of taxpayers at a cost of $700 BILLION DOLLARS to the nation. We need JOBS-JOBS-JOBS that pay living wages with benefits to get the country back on track.
Tax cuts for the rich; social security cuts for the rest of us. Does anyone now doubt that USA is rapidly becoming a banana republic? And that the rich and our politicians (owned by the rich) don’t care.
To follow up on Gene Roza’s comments above: Gosh, I think David Walker is probably being a little modest about being able to weigh in a little with members of the Commission. The following information from the Washington Post about the level of involvement of the Peterson Foundation throughout the entire process may have something to do with commission members being members of Walker’s book club:
(from June) “Obama’s deficit commission will be participating in a 20-city electronic town hall meeting, put together by an organization called America Speaks. It is financed by Peterson, along with the MacArthur Foundation and Kellogg Foundation. This is a truly unusual event because it marks the first time a presidential commission’s activities are financed by a private group that has long been lobbying the government on the very subjects the commission is supposed to ‘study.'”
(And from recent article on commission staffing)
“…the salaries of two senior [Commission] staffers, Marc Goldwein and Ed Lorenzen, are paid by private groups that have previously advocated cuts to entitlement programs. Lorenzen is paid by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, while Goldwein is paid by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which is also partly funded by the Peterson group.”
(And from the same Washington Post article)
“Barbara B. Kennelly, a former Democratic House member from Connecticut who heads the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said the commission’s staffing structure is “unprecedented” and casts further doubt on its fairness.
‘Taxpayers fund the commission and they should work independently of Washington lobbyists and power brokers,’ Kennelly said. ‘This is the type of shenanigans that average Americans are so upset about right now – that money talks and everyone else is left out.’… Kennelly and other liberal-leaning critics say they are particularly troubled by the influence of Peterson, a billionaire and former investment banker who began a $6 million campaign this week urging lawmakers to cut the deficit. Peterson, co-founder of the Blackstone Group investment fund, paid for a series of town hall meetings this year that included participation by deficit commission members. He also funds the Fiscal Times, a digital news organization that focuses on federal debt issues.”
I wonder how much weight was given to the surprising town hall meeting results? My own view of the commission’s work is this: In times of crisis, no nation with any kind of moral compass asks its most vulnerable members to be the FIRST to sacrifice.”
Re Charlie Rose’s selection of guests? No surprises here. He adores hobnobbing with captains of industry, financial tycoons and heads of state. Every once in a while he’ll have Arianna Huffington on. The failure of most of PBS’ news and pundit shows to even MENTION the impact of unprecedented amounts of unidentified money on election results spoke volumes to me. Far from being “left-wing” media, I believe their increasing reliance on corporate contribution makes for mediocre reporting at best.
Michael e. Go suck an egg with your partisan BS. Why do you even post on FAIR? All you do is throw flames.
Where’s our Guy Fawkes”
Cool, Caffrey. “This is a truly unusual event because it marks the first time a presidential commission’s activities are financed by a private group that has long been lobbying the government on the very subjects the commission is supposed to ‘study.'”
Hey. the last time that I can recall something like this happening was when GWB asked Dick Cheeney to pick his Veep. Whadya think the result would be in either case??
All of a sudden it’s imparative to cut the budget to keep us from going broke. After the Second World War, in 194 or 9 we were in arrears to the tune of over 120% of GDP, much higher than today. Instead of cutting the budget, Eisinhower, a Republican, built america’s super highway system on borrowed money, and we had 20 years of prosperity. But that’s when we had a manufacturing base. Too bad. Soo sad. We loose. By now.
1948 or 1949 is what I meant
“My own view of the commission’s work is this: In times of crisis, no nation with any kind of moral compass asks its most vulnerable members to be the FIRST to sacrifice.”
I was thinking North Korea there Ccaffrey, but then you had to add that “moral Compass” caveat.
Raymond says, “Michael e. Go suck an egg with your partisan BS. Why do you even post on FAIR? All you do is throw flames.”
Some people throw flames and fire, Raymond, Mikey throws wet unlit matches. Leave him be. He’s just earning a living, I’m sure, though he’s way overpaid whatever he’s getting for stirring up trouble here. He hasn’t spewed forth a verifiable fact for as long as I’v found this Blog, and most likely never will. Just an idiot to ignore or kick around from time to time. I shouldn’t even be commenting on him at all, cause TimN will chastize SP? me again for accnowledging his existence and he’s probably right, as he usually is. It’s just that it’s a wet, rainy sunday and most of my yard work is done for the year and I’ve nothing else to do today to keep from going stir crazy.
“always is”. I’ve not found anything yet that I disagree with, including Mikey. I’m just, what’s the word, …. imputent? yea, that’s it, as in Nixon’s Veep, Spiro T. Agnew calling Liburals an “Efite Corps of imputent snobs” shortly before he was removed from office to face corruption charges in Maryland, where he was Governor? Wound up in Jail, I think. Nope, googled it. He plead no contest and paid a 30 grand fine, followed by 230,000 in a civil law suite. Dead now. I do tend toward imputence from time to time. Especially when it comes to lyars and idealogues, or those with both of those qualities. It makes about as much sense for Mikey to post here (unless he’s a paid disrupter or a fool, or, again, both)as it would be for me to post on a tea bagger, separatest, malitia, anti-gay, pro-life, anti gobal change pro flat earth blogspot.
NaturalDave….It is called a “difference of opinion”.There are these small areas ,along the coasts mostly that agree with hard core liberalism,socialsm,communism.Views similar to yours.Hey its a free country.All the best to you.Then there is the rest of the country.That huge interior that kind of is in my ballpark.That huge population that demolished the Democratic base,and will do like wise to Obama.With me You nash your teeth and spit insult because one of ‘those trolls” has the temerity to speak a bit for another viewpoint.Do you really want everyone in lockstep on this blog?This blog is all of a same mind.Like little pod people.And if you contributed to tea party blog- you would be soundly refuted.Hopefully(and I have not seen it yet) you would not be personally insulted for your views.But you cant stop what you are.Fortunately we can stop you from governance.
NatuaralDave..One other thing.You mentioned Tim being “right” often.Isnt he the fellow who admitted to being a socialist?In a capitalist country that would make him wrong on damn near every economic question.The two systems really do not co-exist.I would never ask a socialist or communist any questions on economics.They are wrong before they begin.Well maybe not in Obama world since he has this type all about him.But it is an aboration soon to be corrected.
all the entire catfood commission has to offer is trickle down/laffer curve on steriods… as serious policy it’s nonsense but it performs what its rich backers want….money moving from entitlements to pay for huge taxcuts to the top….again
Naturldave: Thank you for your comments re: Michael e. who just considers himself as having a different opinion. If that were true then would there be such political name baiting as he engages in? Truth is neither “left” nor “right”, “liberal” nor “conservative”. However, it is clear that he spews the noise that comes from the FOX network, right-wing and conservative outlets in general that dispense half-truths, over-simplifications, misinformation, outright lies, illogical fallacies. They all know the “talking points” from Lund and Gingrich. Oh, and Michael, the emporer has no clothes and your slip is showing.