A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

27 October 2015

Election coverage at the MSM and Obama’s budget deal

Flathead legislative elections. At the Flathead Beacon, Tristan Scott reports on the status of candidacies in the Flathead’s legislative districts, noting that the ideological divisions within the Republican Party will make for some interest primaries. Serious candidates are already filing their C-1 statements with Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices, so it’s good that the mainstream media are picking up the story now instead of waiting for January, when formal filing begins.

So far, interesting elections and candidates are emerging in House District 3, where unmistakably conservative Taylor Rose wants to unseat Democratic incumbent Zac Perry; in Senate District 3, where tea party stalwart Rep. Keith Regier hopes to replace termed-out Sen. Bruce Tutvedt; and Senate District 6, where Sen. Janna Taylor’s retirement opens a spirited Republican primary contest between former SD-6 senator Carmine Mowbray and HD-11’s Rep. Albert Olszewski, M.D. Scott reports that teenaged Whitefish gun lover Chet Billi plans to file for HD-5 “…as a Republican when he turns 18 later this year.”

National budget agreement. Yesterday I expressed concern that Obama’s deal with Boehner and McConnell included cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Details were lacking at that time, but I was concerned because I’m convinced that Obama doesn’t like older people and I believe he’s all too willing to sacrifice these programs on the altar of compromise for the sake of compromise. At the Plum Line today, Greg Sargent confirms these programs will be cut, and reports that the cuts have not placed all advocates for them on a suicide watch:

On Medicare and Social Security: Nancy Altman, the president of Social Security Works, a group that strenuously opposes benefits cuts and argues for their expansion, tells me that the deal “doesn’t actually cut benefits or really hurt beneficiaries who aren’t gaming the system.”

Altman says the Medicare cuts are all on the provider side, which could harm beneficiaries at some point, but it’s not a major concern. “On the Medicare side, they limited their cuts to far in the future, and to providers,” Altman says. “There’s time to correct that.”

Corrections will require a working Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, and a Democratic President. That’s not likely to occur anytime soon. In the meantime, by threatening a government shutdown and a debt ceiling crisis, Republicans extorted concessions on Social Security and Medicare from Democrats. That does not make Democrats look strong.

This puts Sen. Bernie Sanders on the spot. Will he stick to his principles and vote against the deal? Or will he vote for the bill to support a Democratic President who’s willing to starve old people to feed the generals?

Update. I’ve received reports that last night on the Rachel Maddow Show Sanders said he will vote against the deal.