According to a leaked memo provided by Bob Woodward on last Sunday\u2019s Meet the Press with David Gregory<\/em>, Obama\u2019s first try at a \u201cGrand Bargain\u201d was abysmal<\/a>. You can read the Grand Bargain memo in its entirely here<\/a>. Basically, the president offered to cut military health care, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for a pittance in increased tax revenue on the wealthy. This was not a deal forced on him; it\u2019s the deal he wanted. It fell apart at the 11th hour when he asked Boehner\u00a0for a little more tax revenue. I don’t think voters in Florida, who stood in line eight hours, knew the guy they were voting for planned to cut their Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and may still do so.<\/p>\n

Blogger Taylor Marsh<\/a> offers some insightful comments about the memo and about Obama:<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t call it the \u201cgrand bargain\u201d for nothing and he\u2019s the one pushing it, not Republicans.<\/p>\n

It will make you understand what I wrote after Obama\u2019s emotional talk with his troops in Chicago, how it\u2019s always about him<\/a>, no investment in Democratic Party principles or that legacy<\/a>. . .<\/p>\n

Obama has always been fixated on Ronald Reagan and what he did<\/strong><\/a>, because that\u2019s the president that impacted, impressed and embedded most in his mind when he was coming up. So, the grand bargain is about a Ronald Reagan\u2014Tip O\u2019Neill moment. An \u201cI saved Social Security\u201d for future generations deal, which will likely include a nod to the business community, whose \u201cfiscal cliff\u201d is the bookend meant to push the \u201cgrand bargain\u201d to manifestation, in the mother of all Obama\u2014Wall Street make-up sessions imprinted for history.<\/p>\n

Bill Kristol<\/a> has already paved the way for the wealthy tax cuts, so Democrats only have to give on entitlements to make it all possible. . .<\/p>\n

Not only did Team Obama get progressives to stand down in the run up to the 2012 election, with activists shrugging they couldn\u2019t possibly ask Obama to outline his plan on entitlements, but they\u2019re going to watch as the boss uses OFA to push through a wider conservative economic legacy. . .<\/p>\n

Disagreeing with Obama\u2019s economic conservatism, his intent would complete what his neoliberal godfather Bill Clinton started. The result could have as lasting an impact on the Democratic Party as Clinton\u2019s economic and job creation did in the \u201990s, solidifying the most powerful tag team legacy in modern political history, with Republicans having no rival.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t beat Republicans on economics best them by becoming the New Republican Party, complete with \u201ckill lists\u201d and drone strikes that would make the Gipper proud. The Reagan coalition may be dead on the right, but it\u2019s very much alive with the New \u201cLeft\u201d<\/span> Democrat<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to a leaked memo provided by Bob Woodward on last Sunday\u2019s Meet the Press with David Gregory, Obama\u2019s first try at a \u201cGrand<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[998,1575,10,202,946],"tags":[698,603,2494,2511],"yoast_head":"\n