An 83-year-old woman at Obama’s Ohio town hall today asked him why seniors on Social Security didn’t get a COLA increase this year. The reason was, of course, because deflation meant the cost of living actually went down, so a COLA wasn’t needed.
But Barack Obama needed senior support on Obamacare, so back in October, he sent out a senior stimulus— $250 per Social Security recipient coming to a total of $13 billion. He didn’t get their support (as we now know), but the checks went out, supported by some Republicans and criticized by deficit hawks and many conservatives.
Today, when answering an Ohio woman’s question, Obama edged indelicately close to the political truth about programs for seniors: “We never forget seniors because they vote at very high levels,” he said to light laughter before realizing the response was a bit crass. He then hastened to add that we appreciate seniors because they “changed our diapers.” It was a cynical moment for the hope-and-change merchant.
The admission is a political truth we all know, and the reason Republicans have (unwisely, I think) painted themselves into a fiscal corner by bashing the idea of Medicare cuts in the fight against Obamacare. What’s telling is how clumsy the president has become in his rhetoric. As the constant pitch for flailing health-care becomes more and more tired, the Great Orator does himself less and less good with each outing:
