President Obama, in a clear and calculating move, reached low into the political bag of tricks Tuesday in choosing to unnecessarily terrify millions of senior citizens about their Social Security checks. It was a low blow for a president who is better than that.
The President told CBS News’s Scott Pelley that he cannot guarantee Social Security payments beginning August 3rd. That is nonsense, and the President knows it. Even if the U.S. were to fail to raise the debt ceiling, Social Security payments will be able to flow. The country would just begin paying interest-only on its debt while discussions continue.
This move reminds me of Mayor David Dinkins in New York City warning the public — in the middle of an historic 1992 crime wave — that he would be forced to extinguish every other street light because of budget cuts. It was a preposterous bluff. But even more than that, it was mean to city seniors frightened by their own shadows at the time. Dinkins backed off and cut something else.
My money says President backtracks by 5 pm Eastern on this one. If he doesn’t, he will be showing that there is a real Chicago politician in him.
Think that photo might be reaching a bit low in your political bag of tricks? Just wondering… 🙂
It was the best I could find down there!