Much ado about quite a bit

Bless Washington Monthly's Adele Stan for making this rather obvious point about political tactics:

Here’s my hope: that this rumor [about Medicare eligibility] is being floated in order to create enormous pushback from the left that would give Obama cover for rejecting it. Time to push.

Now it could be that the rumor is untrue, in which case the pushback is as inconsequential as the rumor. Nothing either lost or gained, although we are being treated--and, for paradox lovers, this is a real plus--to some folks so immersed in reflexively defending the Obama camp that they're rudely defying the express wishes of President Obama himself; which is to say, the president has repeatedly invited citizen participation into determining second-term directions, and yet now that citizens are participating (boy, are they ever), the aforementioned Obama loyalists are demanding that said citizens just shut the fuck up, sit back, and wait and see what emerges in official proposal form.

Now that's weird. Funny, but weird.

Or it may be that the rumor is true, or true enough, or close enough, or however one wishes to frame the abhorrent thing, in which case the pushback is both profoundly justified and politically indispensible--but only if the pushback is indeed "enormous." That's why Krugman reignited the Klein firestorm by urging, "If anyone in the White House is seriously thinking along these lines, please stop it right now." That was no Krugmanesque "fit," no frenzy, no hysteria and no tantrum. It was a hot, politically tactical and calculated grenade, which everyone who cares about America's social safety nets should be throwing under the "cliff's" negotiating table.

Comments

[Peter G]

Or it may be the administration feels the need to prod it's own dog. The Republicans in the House are making much of their mandate to cut spending and they are advocating one of the least efficient ways of doing that which is raising the age of Medicare eligibility. Want to keep your own side engaged publicly and make sure the correct arguments get made? Prod your own dog with surrogates. If the Chait piece proved anything it proved that this issue has every bit as much symbolic power on the left as it does on the right. And they have the the better policy.

[japa21]

There is a difference between reflexively accusing the Obama adminstration of betraying Medicare and saying that it is to be hoped that they are not doing so. I can defend the Obama administration by telling people to stop being hysterical or making unfounded accusations of betrayal while at the same time doing it more in Krugman's style. Note that he said "if" anyone in the administration is thinking of this, please stop.

BTW, I also think that this is being floated to get response, knowing full well that it won't fly. But it will receive almost universal rejection from all sides. Plus the insurance companies hate it, and it is already figured that the cost to the government due to other expenditures, i.e. Medicaid, are actually higher than any savings to Medicare.

[wtf]

PM--Don't you know you're supposed to sit passively and wait for laws to be imposed on you? That's what good citizens do. Don't criticize bad ideas; just hope they'll go away.

[Alli]

More than 2/3 of the country don't want the Medicare age raised. Why would Obama need to be pushed to take it off the table? He does not need cover on this issue.

Also, pretty tired of the handwringing that goes on with the left. What one blogger said is suddenly what the president wants. So we must therefore slag the president for something he never said. Yeah, I've seen that show a million times. Its boring.

[Alli]

One other reason this "Obama Loyalist" is not worried? I do not believe Repubs have any intention of making a deal. Do you remember the last 4T deal Obama offered? Or the debate where GOP candidates were asked if they would take a 10 to 1 deal? This is the same party that puts the repeal of Obamacare on the table to start off fiscal cliff negotiations. Give me a break. We are discussing the raising of the Medicare age as if the other side is serious. They aren't. All they want to do is keep kicking the can down the road until they snatch the Senate and the WH from Dems.