Poor despairing Tom Carper. Forced to sit in his Senate Democratic Caucus and see his dreams of ‘entitlement reform’, aka gut the New Deal and the Great Society, go down the drain. From today’s unbelievable (but true) News-Journal piece:
Carper said he “sat there in despair” during meetings with fellow Democrats to discuss the deal brokered by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Carper had been telling colleagues for months this was their chance to do something meaningful about tax and entitlement reforms. The deal ultimately passed by Congress does neither, he said.
Don’t believe that Carper is going after Social Security? Read this illogic in all its Carperesque rationalization, then read what Sen. Bernie Sanders has to say about it:
Another topic the senator wants to address is Social Security reform. Carper plans to introduce Social Security reforms that were included in a 2010 proposal by former GOP Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles. Their plan would increase the retirement
age for full benefits to 69 by 2075 and slow the increase of benefits over time.Such legislation wouldn’t count as a deficit-reduction measure because Social Security is paid for through payroll taxes . But saving Social Security money would give Democrats a bargaining chip in negotiating with Republicans to increase tax revenues, Carper said. (The mind reels.) Carper could face an uphill battle in targeting Social Security. Defenders of the program say the Simpson-Bowles plan would significantly cut benefits unnecessarily.
“I think it’s a disastrous idea and not only will I oppose it but I, along with other senators, will be introducing legislation which will prevent cuts to Social Security benefits and for cuts to the benefits of disabled veterans, which is what the Carper proposal would do,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
So Tom Carper will once again don his green eyeshade like he purportedly did when he was State Treasurer. He’ll search every nook and cranny for savings. Except not in defense, not in financial reform, not in anything but entitlement reform. BTW, is ‘entitlement reform’ one of those poll-tested phrases from the Frank Luntz laboratory? You know, like death taxes? Sure sounds like it.
So. Here’s what we know in January of 2013. For the next six years, Tom Carper will be some sort of cross between his departed pal Joe Lieberman and Senator ‘$200 Toilet Seats’ Bill Roth. Except that Carper will be searching for $200 Toilet Seats in the homes of people who rely on Social Security, not in the Pentagon.
He’ll also be ‘reaching across the aisle’ to side with the Rethugs in their 70-year crusade to destroy the New Deal. He said so.
Due to his longevity and ongoing suckitude, I can now safely argue that Tom Carper is the single worst elected official in Delaware history.
Care to disagree?