Three Messages to the White House Today.

1.   ABSOLUTELY, the president must veto any Republican attempt to weaken or repeal the health care reform law. The law is far from perfect, and will need improvements in the years to come, but this is the historic achievement of the first two years of the Obama administration, and will eventually come to be nearly universally recognized as such. No wavering on this issue. Sharpen up the veto pen. 

2.   Deficit reduction is not the most important priority in this economy. But if the president wants to make budget cuts, the best way to do that is to cut back on the costs of "American Empire." Fulbright and Mansfield had it right back in the 60s: our obsession with "projecting power" is spending our capital, and not producing economic returns for our people. We should be looking to closing bases overseas, cutting back on the "worldwide commands" and military hardware exceeding that of all the rest of the world combined, and, ESPECIALLY, ending the wars in Iraq (fully) AND Afghanistan, as soon as is humanly possible. These will reap great rewards here at home, and help reduce the growth of the national debt better than anything else. 

3.   The election results are a backlash, and an expression of anger and frustration over an economy that thoughtful people understand the president did not create and in fact has done a pretty good job of preventing from spiraling downward even worse.

But the message of this election must NOT include any thought that it's OK to cut social security or medicare benefits or raise the retirement age, especially not for anyone within ten years or so of eligibility. Social security is a sacred trust in this country, and no matter what some of the Right Wingers who just got elected may say, the people DO NOT WANT IT MESSED WITH.

Medicare needs to be addressed through global cost controls in the medical arena, but IT'S A MYTH that Social Security is in trouble. Social Security has been on a sound footing for a long time, and if there's any fix needed at all, it's to raise the cap on income subject to FICA taxes.

○  NO CUTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY

○  NO RISE IS RETIREMENT AGE

○  FIX MEDICARE BY CONTROLLING COSTS AND ELIMINATING PRIVATE ADVANTAGE, NOT BY CUTTING BENEFITS

These principles must guide the President if he is to have a comeback and bring the Democrats in Congress roaring back with him in '12, because these are non-negotiable for the American people.

Thank you.