By: Jim Hoover

Obama needs about one billion dollars to get re-elected next year, and he will get the money from the rich. Therefore, he must prove the perspective of the well-heeled, like the old classic song, “You belong to me.”

He knows that while Republicans will agitate over their candidate, they will hold their collective noses, close ranks for the final shill for the rich, and the rich will gladly raise their own cache of about $1 billion for the Republican candidate left standing.

Thus, while he gives rhetorical notice to jobs (“I am concerned about the fact that the recovery that we’re on is not producing jobs as fast as I want it to happen,” he said with the latest bad economic news.), Medicare, higher taxes for the rich, and defense of jobs, he will fold on issues of deficit reduction through social spending cuts, rather than sane taxes or job creation through stimulus.

Republicans are calling for trillions of dollars in cuts before they’ll raise the debt ceiling. Even the right-wing American Chamber of Commerce told Republicans they must raise the debt ceiling, but Obama still bargains from a position of weakness.

What Obama seems to support is a cut in payroll taxes businesses pay on wages, and a corporate tax cut, accompanied by the closing of some corporate tax loopholes. It’s like corporations are the ones who need more tax breaks! Never mind that demand is the problem in our economy, not supply.

The muted voices of Democrats is an ominous sign of their acquiescence to Republican demands for massive spending cuts before Republican leaders will approve raising the debt ceiling. Democratic leaders are offering no alternative plans of tax increases for the rich or defense cuts or measures to cut high Medicare drug costs, something that could save trillions over the years in reducing Medicare costs.

Since the deadline for raising the tax ceiling is early August, we can well assume that the absence of Democrats in any forum of reform means they will cave to Republicans again.

The rich do not like any of the progressive plans, and the rich are the ones who will support election or re-election bids for those who do their bidding.

So do you still wonder why the progressive plans are toast?

We will get no real Medicare reform because it will harm pharma’s massive profits. Never mind that other developed countries pay less for medical care and get more: healthier people, higher life expectancy and a lower child mortality rate.

There will be no repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the rich because they couldn’t increase their portfolios of wealth. Never mind that that is the best route to deficit reduction, and never mind that many middle class Americans have been unemployed for many months and many must work two jobs to make ends meet.

There will be cuts in social spending rather than increases the stunted economy needs, this to meet Republican demands of spending cuts (not military, mind you) and give credit to the Republican bogus “deficit reduction” campaign. Never mind that smart economists know that signs are strong that we will have a double-dip recession.

So when Obama said, “Yes, we can,” did he mean the people as the “we” or the rich?