135,000 Shout Out for Shared Sacrifice

 

As the White House deficit talks heated up, more than 135,000 of you signed Bernie's letter to President Obama. Stand tall, the letter says. Listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe deficit reduction must be about shared sacrifice. Don't yield to right-wing Republican demands to preserve tax breaks for the wealthy while slashing programs for working families, the elderly, the sick, the children and the poor, the letter said. Amid wrangling over the size of the package, Bernie cut to the chase. "The issue is not whether it's a big deal or a small deal. The issue is whether it's a fair deal," he told Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC.
Read Bernie's letter to the president -- and add your name »
Watch Bernie and Dylan discuss the deal making »

Mr. President, Keep Your Word Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the White House at the eleventh hour injected Social Security into the deficit negotiations. "Where does this come from?" Sanders asked in a Senate speech. The president understands that Social Security hasn't contributed a dime to the deficit. It has a $2.6 trillion surplus. It can pay every benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 25 years. Then there's this fact: Obama promised in 2008 that he would not cut Social Security. "Keep your word," the senator thundered. Watch excerpts from Bernie's speech» Watch the White House hem and haw »