Boehner promises Obama GOP cover on entitlements

[Geee]

The Hill:

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has privately assured President Obama that House Republicans will not attack him if he makes a proposal to reform entitlement spending, according to sources familiar with the offer.

Moreover, Boehner has personally promised Obama that he will stand side-by-side with him to weather the strong political backlash expected from any proposal to cut entitlement costs.

So far, Obama has not taken Boehner up on the deal, as Democratic strategists have warned the White House not to cut payments from the Social Security trust fund or to reopen the acrimonious debate over healthcare.
Social Security reform has been prominent in behind-the-scenes talks about entitlement spending because it is relatively easy to reduce its cost projections — at least, compared to the complex morass of healthcare policy reform.

[Evad]

Providing cover for the Bamster..

hmmm...good idea/bad idea??????????

[Evad]

....not to cut payments from the Social Security trust fund......

 

I know this is old news but every time I see it I hafta say

 

THERE IS NO TRUST FUND..it's ALLLLLL debt

[clearvision]

If Obama buys that having GOP "cover" will help in cut the budget, seems good to me. Some how I don't think his "people" will care much about him having that cover.

[pollyannaish]

This is good. The only way entitlement reform will happen is if both parties are willing to take the heat for it together as Americans.

 

Honestly, I don't care if Obama is reelected if that means the right things are happening. For me it isn't about party, it is about principle. Boehner is stepping up and saying basically "we're not here to blast you no matter what, we're here to do what really needs to be done."

 

As President Reagan once famously said "There's no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn't matter who gets the credit." We'd do well to live by that.

 

Whether or not Obama will do the same and tackle what needs to be done is a completely different issue.

 

Edited to add: I think this isn't really providing cover...it's not pushing something and then turning around and attacking your opponent for doing it. You know, kind of like the Democrats always do ala Freddie/Fannie.