Obama Continues Push for 'Big Deal' to Reduce Deficit

[Valin]

Political Punch:

Mary Bruce
7/17/11

Following five days of tense debt negotiations with congressional leaders, President Obama said today that there is still time to agree on a $4 trillion “big deal” to reduce the deficit and avoid default before the August 2 deadline to raise the nation’s $14.3 debt ceiling.

“We have a unique opportunity to do something big,” Obama said at a White House press conference today, noting “we are obviously running out of time.”

As ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported, for the first time, Obama publicly acknowledged that he would support means-testing Medicare as a part of an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, a change which would require wealthier seniors to pay more.
(Snip)

Wait For It......

[Valin]

Transcript of President Obama's Friday Press Conference

 

(Snip)

So with that, let me see who’s on the list. We’re going to start with Jake Tapper.

 

 

 

QUESTIONER: Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve said that reducing the deficit will require shared sacrifice. We know -- we have an idea of the taxes that you would like to see raised on corporations and on Americans in the top two tax brackets, but we don’t yet know what you specifically are willing to do when it comes to entitlement spending. In the interest of transparency, leadership, and also showing the American people that you have been negotiating in good faith, can you tell us one structural reform that you are willing to make to one of these entitlement programs that would have a major impact on the deficit? Would you be willing to raise the retirement age? Would you be willing to means test Social Security or Medicare?

 

 

 

THE PRESIDENT: We’ve said that we are willing to look at all those approaches. I’ve laid out some criteria in terms of what would be acceptable. So, for example, I’ve said very clearly that we should make sure that current beneficiaries as much as possible are not affected. But we should look at what can we do in the out-years, so that over time some of these programs are more sustainable.....and on and on and on.....

 

Can anyone find a real answer to Jake's question?