Socialist Senator: Obama's Wrong - Social Security Checks Will Go Out If Debt Ceiling Isn't Raised
America's only admittedly socialist member of Congress said Wednesday that he disagreed with President Obama's comments concerning Social Security checks possibly not going out on August 3rd if the debt ceiling isn't raised.
When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he felt checks to seniors and disabled vets would be issued no matter what, the host of MSNBC's "The Ed Show" responded, "So you would take issue with the President on that statement, that he may have been fear-mongering in essence?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
ED SCHULTZ, HOST: And Senator, what was your response to the President when he told a, an anchor in an interview he couldn’t guarantee that the checks would be there on April 3rd [sic], that he couldn’t guarantee that the Social Security checks would, would hit people’s bank accounts if we don’t take action? What’s your response to that? True or false?
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VERMONT): Well, there are differences of opinion about that. There are some who would argue, and I tend to agree, that given the fact that Social Security has a $2.6 trillion surplus, then you can figure out a way you must make sure that seniors and disabled vets get their checks.
SCHULTZ: So you would take issue with the President on that statement, that he may have been fear-mongering in essence?
SANDERS: What he is saying is, look, there’s not enough money here to pay our debts. That’s true. I think, in fact, we can pay Social Security.
Interesting when possibly the most liberal member of Congress goes on national television contradicting a Democrat president. That'll teach Schultz never to ask a question he doesn't know the answer to.
Of course, on this rare occasion, Sanders was correct. The Bipartisan Policy Center published some very compelling numbers about this matter that jive nicely with what NewsBusters has been sharing for over a week.
As reported by the Weekly Standard Friday:
The BPC study found that the United States is likely to hit the debt limit sometime between August 2 and August 9. “It’s a 44 percent overnight cut in federal spending” if Congress hits the debt limit, [Jay Powell of the Bipartisan Policy Center]said. The BPC study projects there will be $172 billion in federal revenues in August and $307 billion in authorized expenditures. That means there's enough money to pay for, say, interest on the debt ($29 billion), Social Security ($49.2 billion), Medicare and Medicaid ($50 billion), active duty troop pay ($2.9 billion), veterans affairs programs ($2.9 billion).
That leaves about $39 billion to fund other things.
As such, whether or not the President specifically said Social Security checks are in jeopardy if the debt ceiling isn't raised, the mere suggestion is indeed fear-mongering, and the American people deserve a more factual representation of what would happen in a few weeks if Congress doesn't reach an agreement on this issue.
As it's become crystal clear that's not going to come from the White House or their media minions, it sure was surprising to see a grain of truth on MSNBC, especially coming from Sanders.
- Noel Sheppard's blog
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Comments
big red
Submitted by grammajane on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:18am.
Imagine big red is upset over sanders comments about his messiah fear-mongering Sr's. Fear-mongering is fatso's favorite word about conservatives. Not a word in the media about Fast and Furious or the public school teachers allowing cheating to go on, or obama holding money raisers in the WH. The media has gone to hell!!!
Small Grains
Submitted by Chris Norman on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:19am.
"it sure was surprising to see a grain of truth on MSNBC..."
Especially since previously, about the only truth on MSNBC was perhaps the names of the staff and guests.
Even a blind squirrel will
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:29am.
Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in awhile
Somebody's going to go to the
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:32am.
Somebody's going to go to the woodshed for the 'gaffe'...............especially these guys, who ARE supposed to be going along with everything and anything that Boy Blah-Blah says.
Alternate Headline
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 1:17am.
Socialist Senator Sanders sez on Schultz Show Social Security will Soldier On Should Uncle Sam Shut Up Shop.
No off position on the genious switch.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 1:26am.
Another alternate headline -
Bernie Blasts Bumbling Boob on Bennies.
That's spelled 'genius',
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 1:47am.
That's spelled 'genius', Vet............it must be getting late over there on the mainland.
How about Fargo Fatass and Floundering Failure Figure Finances to Flow Freely?????
Letdown.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:16am.
Killa Klubs Klueless Kodger wit Kudgel Kuz he Kan't Spell.
I heart The Vet*
Submitted by cajun2 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:42pm.
rofl
It's not a question of whether we will have enough revenue to
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:12am.
pay for our current entitlement obligations. President Obama and the Dems want to be able to use the non-payment of Social Security and Medicare as a scare tactic that they can blame on Republicans. Obama knows that even after the debt ceiling is finally negotiated, he and his buddies in the media can use this issue to blame Republicans all the way up until the 2012 election.
Obama's hoping that seniors like myself, who are on Social Security and Medicare, will not forget that Republicans would rather forgo payments to seniors, as long as rich people do not pay additional taxes. Bad Republicans.
You can be assured that the media will carry this message.
We are also senior
Submitted by dr-go on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:33am.
citizens and will not wait for dog food to be rationed by the Republicans and instead we have been stocking up on the brand my parents ate back in the 90s when Newt and his cronies picked on Bubba.
Does our President really feel that people are so obtuse, ignorant and even stupid that his threat would be believable? So, that's what he thinks of us? Ouch!
I asked my folks if they
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:39am.
I asked my folks if they needed a new can opener to open their dog food. My mom said they would buy the cans with pop top lids. They have some money saved up so they can afford Alpo instead of the store brands.
My mom is 82 years old. She watches Fox news about all day long except for Jeopardy and one soap opera. She is not going to be fooled by the White House Wastel. She has about as much use for Rep, Bonehead as she does the One. She does not trust any of them.
ricklail......Bless your mom. 82 years old is a good age.
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:25pm.
I practice Tai chi chuan with a woman who is 82 years old, and she is as fit as a fiddle. She also is a conservative. As you know, conservatives live on average much longer than liberals, because liberals are filled with anger and hate. Not to mention their lack of faith in a higher power.
Why is this communist puke even allowed to be in congress?
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:16am.
Not in my America.
Not even for three seconds.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave,
Submitted by Chris Norman on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:21am.
He was unfortunately elected by the uber liberal/socialists from New York who invaded formerly conservative Vermont and transformed it into a big commune?
Chris,
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 2:30am.
We most definitely need higher standards for elected officials across the board.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
What do you mean "standards"?
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:04am.
You don't like communism; neither do I. But it is their right to elect a communist. Heck, look at FL, which has put that impeached judge, Alcee Hastings, into the House of Representatives. The whole Congress is replete with scum (or that which gives scum a bad name).
There are no standards that you can impose for legislators that don't put the government more in control. Heck, we can't even enforce how we prove a Presidential candidate is a natural-born citizen.
Dennis Prager
It's not your America; it's
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:36am.
It's not your America; it's their Vermont. He is one of two represntative voices for the sovereign state of Vermont.
Wrong! He is one of three
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:41am.
Wrong! He is one of three from Vermont. Two senators and one house rep.
You're the one who is wrong.
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:53am.
You're the one who is wrong. Each state has two Senators to serve as the representative voice of the State to the federal government. Representatives represent the people; Senators represent the state.
Satchmo = Troll
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:14am.
The troll is baiting you. Don't fall for it.
Ignore this troll
Who is "the State"?
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:42pm.
Senators represent the state.
Who? the Governor, the People, or the Tree's? Satc, boring.
Satchmo = TROLL
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 7:52am.
Do not feed the trolls.
Satchmo = TROLL
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 7:52am.
Do not feed the trolls.
Is $39 billion enough to pay Federal employees for the month?
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 4:59am.
Or do we ground all planes because TSA and ATC are not funded? Do we stop inspecting meats? Do we stop issuing permits? Or stop planning to take over medical care, reviewing Social Security claims, issuing new Medicaid guidelines, etc. The Washington elites have turned the whole Federal bureaucracy into a mass of "mother may I " and functions that impact us. This is what is meant about prioritization, and why Obama won't. It would mean that a bunch of his voters would not be paid, which would tend to tick them off.
Dennis Prager
It would be worth forcing a partial shutdown
Submitted by Callawyn on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:57am.
Anyone that says not raising the debt ceiling will result in 'default' is either lying or ignorant. The FIRST thing that will be paid will be interest on the debt (under $20 Billion a month, from revenues of over $200 Billion).
What actually will happen is they'll pay the interest on debt, social security, medicare, medicaid and active duty military, then have enough left for about 55% of discretionary spending.
It means a partial government shutdown. Obama will have to prioritize. What stays running and what is shut down is entirely up to him. So, he can choose to keep the TSA on the job so planes aren't grounded, but shut down, say, the EPA. Or, he could do the opposite.
This is what is happening right now in Minnesota, where the people are finding out that when the bureaucracy is shut down nothing really bad happens (heh). A lot of government workers (otherwise known as Democrats) are not receiving pay checks in exchange for their make-work jobs harassing their fellow citizens with burdensome regulations.
We should have partial shutdowns every few years, just to make it clear to everyone how useless and unnecessary much of government really is.
There is no "Trust Fund"
Submitted by Callawyn on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:50am.
"Social Security has a $2.6 trillion surplus,"
Social Security has pieces of paper that say that Treasury owes it $2.6 Trillion. Treasury is, of course, empty. This is a HUGE LIE. Politicians make it sound like government invested the surplus that Social Security had from the beginning until last year. They did not. From '67 on, when LBJ put it 'on budget' so he could spend the surplus on his 'great society' programs and the Viet Nam War, they spent the entire surplus every year in exchange for IOU's saying Treasury owed Social Security.
Lets say you personally have an income of $2k per month and expenses of $1.8k per month, so you have a surplus of $200 per month. You then spend that $200 every month eating out at restaurants, rather than investing it, and write yourself an IOU every time you spend your 'surplus'. After 10 years you have $24,000 in IOU's, but you can only cash them in from yourself - out of future earnings, or borrowing. This is how the Social Security 'Trust Fund' works. There was NO RETURN on investment, since they never invested a dime, and they can only cash in the 'bonds' from themselves.
When the self-admitted
Submitted by Beukeboom on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 7:05am.
When the self-admitted socialist Bernie Sanders goes against Obama it's a major sign that Obama is in bigger trouble than he realizes or cares to admit.
I wonder if it's only a matter of time before other liberals openly turn on Obama.
What about this?
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 7:26am.
Apparently the boy who would be king had a blow up with Eric Cantor and just walked out saying "I'll see you tomorrow." The GOP's gotta hold fast on this because they are winning the battle and the dictator even said "don't call my bluff."
Dictator walks out
This is both good news and bad news, good that the manchild is starting to break, but bad news because who knows what the hell he'll do? I'm just wishing that he wouldn't just walk out of the negotiations, but out of the WH for good and just plain GO AWAY.
But you ain't kidding, those "allies" of his are turning on him and only the staunch ones are the ones that really want to help him take over like Chuck-U Schumer, Turban Durbin, Dingy Harry, and so on.
I guess Sanders in his own twisted way wanted the manchild to follow the Constitution(how a socialist can do that and not violate the Constitution.......yeah.)
-Jon
Isn't saying 'don't call my
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:36am.
Isn't saying 'don't call my bluff' an admission of being full of crap???? And, given what we know and have seen and heard about Boy Barry's petulance and arrogance - you can imagine the look and the attitude and the body language that he had when he said it.........
Admissions or.....
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:00am.
Now that you mention it, I'm thinking about that weird movie "Invention of Lying" where the people spoke their mind without lying because they didn't know how to lie.
Put it another way, it's like pointing a gun at someone and saying "Don't move, I will pull the trigger even though it doesn't have any bullets in it."
Just plain bizarre. One more example of the weird messed up thinking of the blunder boy.
-Jon
Now everyone wants to play
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 7:53am.
Now everyone wants to play poker with Barry since he's clearly clueless.
What do social security check have to do with the dept ceiling?
Submitted by Radicalrighty on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:08am.
I heard Harry Reid say about 3 months ago that the "social security lockbox" was intact and solvent. So the SS checks come out of the "lockbox," right? (sarcasm)
Bingo
Submitted by Prester John on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:14am.
Why is it that us common "boobs" can recognize things like this so easily while the geniuses we elect to Congress have no clue on how to fight the propaganda and lies from this administration?
What would be classic of course is if someone in the press asked the Boy Blunder that exact question, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for it.
"Stupid people are ruining America"
Herman Cain 2012
I'm still trying to figure
Submitted by amyshulk on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:20am.
I'm still trying to figure out how I've known SSA wouldn't be there when I retire since the '80's, and people are acting all surprised now???
Ronald Reagan
I'm still trying to figure
Submitted by mandrake on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:56am.
I'm still trying to figure out why I'm still here. Back in 1962 there was a little thing called the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was 10 years old and was told I was about to die. But I'm still here. Since then, I've been told the end is near..but it never happens.! I was in the US recently..saw lots of people shopping with money to spend..they looked happy.
~Every Saturday morning
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:06pm.
I take the wee ones to story time at Barnes & Noble. By the time we come out around 11 o'clock the mall parking lot is nearly full, and by lunchtime every spot is taken. I'd say about 2/3's of the crowd is comprised of young folks living rent-free with their parents, though. It's easy to spend money when you're not paying your own way yet.
Eventually
Submitted by mandrake on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:22pm.
Sooner or later they will move out..haven't they heard there is affordable housing in Florida?
The important thing is they are spending..money needs to circulate..the problem starts when it doesn't.
~Sooner or later
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:41pm.
The credit card bills catch up with you and you learn some sense. Also, Mommy and Daddy will run out of free money after a while.
My sister is ten years younger than I am; she just turned 20. She still lives with our folks, doesn't pay rent, doesn't pay for her college classes, she's got free health insurance through their plan, and spends what little she earns entirely on clothes and make-up. Our parents provide her with the use of a family vehicle and pay for her gas. Her friends are just like her. She ain't movin' out any time soon, and neither are her contemporaries. Leeches just don't let go of the host like that.
Wow
Submitted by mandrake on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:52pm.
Some of that 'tough love' stuff is needed by your sisters parents. My kids (all over 18) pay their own way or it's out..and they do!
~Seriously
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 6:33pm.
I think the last born always has it 'easiest'. Being spoiled has diminishing returns in the real world though; I'm glad I was naturally proud and independent enough to pay my own way for everything. Now I'm a 30 year old with no debt.
My sister's parents? They're both mine, too. :-D
Good on Sanders -- for once
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:13am.
At least the socialist Senator from Vermont is honest enough to present the truth. I'm sure that Special Ed -- who praises Sanders as one of his favorite Senators everytime he appears on Ed's show -- was disillusioned to hear his hero contradict the fear-mongering President.
It's pretty bad when your own party
Submitted by johnsonl on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:15am.
calls you out for being an as$.
And here is some good video
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 9:34am.
And here is some good video with the Social Security chief actuary
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/07/13/video-social-security-chief-actuar...
Satchmo = Troll
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 11:15am.
Ignore the troll.
It's funny that seniors, the military, and the disabled...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:17am.
Were all threatened by o'bama. Yet, foreign aid would still be paid out, planned parenthood will not feel the pinch of "sacrifice", and I am quite sure that o'bama will not be worried about seniors on the golf course this weekend.
Has he ever walked off the green in a tantrum?
yes he has actually
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:29am.
When he got pulled off the green for the mission to kill bin Laden. You know he wasn't happy about that one, even did that 18 hour "decision."
-Jon
social security checks
Submitted by ohio granny on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:21am.
social security checks would only be stopped if obama and geitner want to stop them Haven't we been told for years that the social security funds withheld from our paychecks are in lock box in a trust fund with our names on them. Guess obama just admitted that is a lie. suprise, surprise obama lying. One thing is for sure, if his mouth is open he is lying.
can't wait to send obama back to chicago where thugs reign supreme.
obama and democrats= liars, cheats, crooks and hypocrites. bullies and thugs too.