The Grand Delusion

I'd give you a link for President Obama and his designs for a Grand Bargain on Social Security and/or Medicare, but you can just type in "Grand Bargain" on any search engine and about a thousand posts by pissed off Liberals (and rightfully so) will magically appear.

I have a hunch that President Obama views the Grand Bargain as being akin to Bill Clinton's efforts on welfare reform.  It will be a signature issue in his legacy, one that the misinformed traditional media can point to again and again as showing his leadership and ability to compromise for the good of the country.

Unfortunately, welfare reform has been a colossal failure, with one in six Americans (and over 20% of our children) living below the federal poverty level.  Granted, the Great Recession has probably made those numbers worse, but there is no evidence that Clinton's welfare reform has lowered poverty levels.  The only thing it has done is make America a more cold-hearted and desolate place--which seems to be how republicans envision America at its finest.

One supposes that, being chosen as one of the original twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot must have had some redeeming qualities.  But he is remembered solely as the man who betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver.

President Obama might accomplish much in his eight years, but if his Grand Bargain designs result in more seniors in poverty and/or bankrupted by medical care, it's not hard to imagine his legacy being akin to that of the aforementioned Mr. Iscariot.

Peace,
emaycee