President’s Fiscal Commission – Democrats Now Protecting Medicare

Posted on April 28, 2010


We have just emerged from a long period of  heated health care debate, heated discord over every detail in the bill and painful passage of the bill into law.  Democrats took figures from the Congressional Office of the Budget and doggedly supported cuts in Medicare to reduce medical costs and thereby the national debt.

But now it has come out the COB was way off in cost estimates (the can only work with cost estimates and savings provided by the Democrats).  Democrats had also put faith in cost reduction through cuts in waste from Medicare.  But now some Democrats on the newly minted President’s Bipartisan Fiscal Commission or “panel” are fighting for leaving entitlement programs alone including Medicare.

The first meeting of the Commission was Tuesday, April 28th. Authorized back in February, 2010, Obama selected former Republican Senator from Wyoming, Alan Simpson, and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles. as co-chairmen.  He has also appointed 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats from Congress plus an additional  six  members who are not currently elected officials.  Members are:

Congressional Members (12 – 6 each from the two parties)

  • Senate Majority Leader Richard J. Durbin, (D-Ill)
  • House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD)
  • Judd Gregg, Senator (R- NH)
  • Tom Coburn, Senator (R-OK)
  • Dave Camp, Representative ( R-Michigan)
  • Jan Schawkowsky, Representative (D-Ill)

Other Members

  • Robert Reichaur (Democrat), Former Director, Congressional Budget Office
  • Rudy Penner (Republican), Fomer Director, Congressional Budget Office
  • Andy Stern, President, SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
  • Ben Berneke, Chairman, Federal Reserve
  • Alan Simpson (co-chair, details above)
  • Erskin Bowles (co-chair, details above) [The Hill]

The Commission must have a report of their findings in the President’s hands by December 1.  They will meet monthly with This will be a head-turning distraction to the fall elections.  The mess expands with the appointment of each new investigative body, each new international conference the President calls to order.  He is like great god, Jupiter.  He’s researched his executive prerogatives and is  really throwing those thunderbolts around.

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Posted in: Barack Obama, GOVERNMENT WASTE, LEADERSHIP, MEDICARE/MEDICAID, POLITICS, REFORM