Congressional Libs Unimpressed by Grand Bargain

I guess these political noobs just don't understand how politics works:

Multiple reports out today suggest that Dem leaders in the House and Senate are edging towards supporting Chained CPI for Social Security as part of the "grand bargain" Obama wants to replace the sequester with — and that's already sparking sharp pushback from Congressional liberals.

"Why are we doing this?" Dem Rep. Keith Ellison, a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said to me in an interview today. Asked which is worse, continued sequestration or a grand bargain that cuts entitlement benefits, Ellison said: "It's like saying, 'Which of your kids do you want to sacrifice to the monster?' Neither one."

Ellison is backed up by over 100 other House Dems who have pledged to fight any cuts to retirement benefits, including Chained CPI, a way of indexing Social Security benefits to inflation that amounts to a real benefits cut.

..."Leader Pelosi has always encouraged members to offer their own sincerely held views," Ellison told me. "My sincerely held view is that Chained CPI is a benefit cut for people who have very little. An overwhelming number of people who are on Social Security have fixed incomes. We have a lot of people across America who agree. Most of our caucus is opposed to this."

When it comes down to it, isn't the choice just between extended sequestration and some kind of deal to replace it, and if so, which is worse? Is this the choice liberals face? I put the question to Ellison, and he rejected the framing, arguing that being drawn into it is to already cede ground to Republicans.

"Once we do that we're already in the territory of bargaining away Chained CPI," Ellison said. "We're already saying we're open to negotiating on Chained CPI. And we're not." Senator Bernie Sanders has similarly insisted that liberals must not allow the choice to be framed this way, and has instead called on the White House and Dem leaders to try to leverage public opinion to force Republicans to accept a long term deal that includes increased revenues and cuts spending judiciously without targeting entitlement benefits.

Ellison pointed out that Republicans aren't as quick as Dems to signal a willingness to trade away core priorities at the outset. "Republicans don't do that," he said.

What is this guy—some kind of LIBERAL BLOGGER?! Looks like someone's not a member of the Congressional 12-dimensional chess club!