Deficit Commission Moves the Goalpost, Disses Leading Progressive Member

Tuesday 30 November 2010

by: Isaiah J. Poole | Campaign for America's Future | Op-Ed

Deficit Commission Moves the Goalpost, Disses Leading Progressive Member
Rep. Jan Schakowsky. (Photo: davidcharns)

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., says that as of this morning she had not been shown the latest proposal of the White House deficit commission, even as she says it is being "shopped around" by its co-chairs in an effort to get the support of a simple majority of its 18 members—not the support of 14 members as was its original goal.

Schakowsky confirmed this shift in an interview with OurFuture.org after giving a private briefing to members of the Tuesday Group, a meeting of progressive organization leaders convened by the Campaign for America's Future.

The deficit commission—formally known as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform—was scheduled to hold a public meeting today in advance of its planned release of its recommendations Wednesday, but the meeting was abruptly canceled. Instead, its co-chairs, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, were tweaking the deficit reduction plan they made public earlier this month, which includes proposals to cut Social Security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and other key programs.

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When the commission was created by President Obama, its charge was to come up with a set of recommendations that would be endorsed by 14 of its members. Those recommendations would then be sent to Congress for an up-or-down vote.
"Now I think their more modest goal is to get 10 members to endorse it" so that Simpson, a Republican, and Bowles, a conservative Democrat, can claim bipartisan support, Schakowsky said.

Schakowsky has released her own deficit-reduction plan, which does not cut Social Security or other human needs programs but tackles excessive spending in other areas, such as the military budget. Elements of Schakowsky's plan were adopted by the Citizens' Commission on Jobs, Deficits and America's Economic Future, which released its report formally today.

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Comments

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Jan Schakowsky has mostly

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 17:50 — Jan Boudart (not verified)

Jan Schakowsky has mostly supported the progressive community (except on the Iraq War vote in 2003). Here she is on the right track and we should write to the members of the deficit commission and tell them to support her plan. Here are the members:
Co-Chairmen:
Sen. Alan Simpson. Former Republican Senator from Wyoming.
Erskine Bowles, Chief of Staff to President Clinton
Executive Director:
Bruce Reed, Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Clinton
Commissioners:
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA 31)
Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI 4)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
David Cote, Chairman and CEO, Honeywell International
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Ann Fudge, Former CEO, Young & Rubicam Brands
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX 5)
Alice Rivlin, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute and former Director, Office of Management & Budget
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI 1)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9)
Rep. John Spratt (D-SC 5)
Andrew Stern, President, Service Employees International Union

Once again, Obama throws the

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 22:11 — Anonymous (not verified)

Once again, Obama throws the middle finger to the Progressive Caucus, without embarrassment, shame or irony. He's a fucking neoliberal conservative right to the core. Imagine, the gaul of putting a Republican on that committee cochair. Imagine, Obama, with other alternatives, such as what this woman is offering, wanting to cut Social Service Monies. Wow. this guy in the White House is a total asshole.

I'm glad the progressives

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 22:44 — Anonymous (not verified)

I'm glad the progressives are still ticking. They all hurt themselves, hurt themselves, however, by eventually caving on single payer, rather than sticking together as a block and opposing where the Democrats were heading. Of course, John Conyers bears the brunt of the blame since he was the chief spokesperson, and caved under the pressure of the black caucus not to disempower Obama. Jan Schakowsky followed, along with others. Though she spoke nobly on behalf of health care at hearings, it was clear that she was silenced in terms of single payer, H.R. 676 which she had signed on to support. If they had stuck together then, they would have a bigger voice now. Indeed, many think they should split from the lame Democrats and just form their own party. They would be far more effective, and America would stand to gain far more, certainly, in the long run. IMO. For this, too, we will watch the progressives lose. They have essentially become what pulls disgruntled voters into the fold for the otherwise useless Democratic Party. But they have no power in Congress, to speak of.

Jan Schakowsky has more

Wed, 12/01/2010 - 01:03 — Regina (not verified)

Jan Schakowsky has more sense in her little fingers regarding the problems of the deficit, and projected solutions, than all those good ol' boys have in their empty heads. The choice of co-chairs proves my point. Her proposal would produce the improvements we so desperately need, whereas Bowles and Simpson's would grind us further down in the ditch.