Grijalva: We Just Got Thrown Under the Bus

"This deal trades peoples' livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it. Progressives have been organizing for months to oppose any scheme that cuts Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, and it now seems clear that even these bedrock pillars of the American success story are on the chopping block. Even if this deal were not as bad as it is, this would be enough for me to fight against its passage."

"This deal does not even attempt to strike a balance between more cuts for the working people of America and a fairer contribution from millionaires and corporations. The very wealthy will continue to receive taxpayer handouts, and corporations will keep their expensive federal giveaways. Meanwhile, millions of families unfairly lose more in this deal than they have already lost. I will not be a part of it."

"Republicans have succeeded in imposing their vision of a country without real economic hope. Their message has no public appeal, and Democrats have had every opportunity to stand firm in the face of their irrational demands. Progressives have been rallying support for the successful government programs that have meant health and economic security to generations of our people. Today we, and everyone we have worked to speak for and fight for, were thrown under the bus."

President Obama supported a fiscal deal that sacrifices working people's livelihoods to secure votes from uncompromising right-wing radicals. The deal proposes cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, prompting progressives to organize against it. The agreement shifts burdens onto working families while preserving tax breaks and federal giveaways for the very wealthy and corporations. Republicans have succeeded in advancing a vision that erodes economic hope, while Democrats missed opportunities to resist unreasonable demands. Progressives and affected constituencies feel abandoned, and Democratic principles of capable, meaningful government face a critical crossroads as a result.

Read at Emptywheel