Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

Social Security: Are You Ready For A Congressional “Video Staycation”?

April 3, 2011 By fake-consultant 12 Comments

“I mean, just from the very notion that it said that 50 percent of beneficiaries under the Social Security program use those moneys as their sole source of income. So we’ve got to protect today’s seniors. But for the rest of us? For – you know, listen. We’re going to have to come to grips with the fact that these programs cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be…

…We’re going to have to accept some changes as far as the rest of us. And what we’re saying is for those 55 and older do not have to worry about changes in benefits. But for the rest of us we will. We will have to do that.”

–House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, speaking at the Hoover Institution, March 21, 2011

OK, so like I said, I have bit of “inside baseball” that sets this whole thing up.

I got a piece of information “on background” yesterday from An Actual Well-Informed Source who seems to be about two or three “degrees of separation” away from actually being in the room while this news is occurring; because of that I’m willing to ascribe to it a reasonably good chance of proving to be entirely accurate.

What I was told was that Paul Ryan, who is the “manager” of the House Republicans’ budget-cutting effort, has decided not to push to include cuts in Social Security as part of the current fight over a Continuing Resolution…because Spring Break is coming up.

Check this out: according to the House Schedule, April 18-29 is Spring Recess, and I was told there’s a lot of concern on the Republican side about what would happen if anyone made any crazy Social Security proposals right now…when they have to go home and face you and me and the rest of the Angry Nation in just about two weeks.  

(There’s some evidence to back this up: it is now possible that Cantor “misspoke” in that quote a couple of paragraphs up the page; as of this moment I can’t confirm if a “full backpedal” is officially underway or not.)

We can discern two things from that little nugget: for starters, we are having an impact on this fight-but beyond that, we also now know that we have two weeks to publicly torment those Members of Congress who are looking to cut Social Security…and we have two weeks to get ready.

Since hunger strikes are already underway, here are a few other ideas you’re welcome to steal to make your statement:

Is your Member going to be appearing at a community center or a friendly church?

Well how about arriving a few hours early and setting up a cardboard “Social Security Tahrir Square”?

You could have a box that’s the local “Catfood Grocery”, you could paint one of the boxes to look like “Grandma’s Gingerbread Box”, and you could even have a “Long-Term Care Facility” and hand out fliers of your own-and make sure you catch the reaction of the Congressional Staff on video to set up the bigger video of you interacting with the crowd…or y’all being ejected by the suddenly fearful Representative…or y’all “making happy” with a supportive Member.

Now you’re going to love this one, and there are two ways you can make it work.

What we’ll be playing on are the proposals to increase the retirement age and how we’ll be asking old people to do jobs that, obviously, they just can’t; what I basically want you to do is either go to an event…or outside one of the Members’ District Offices…and create a “job training center” for senior citizens.

Get a wheelbarrow and load it with a nice load of bricks, maybe fill some oval trays with a mess of plates and beverageware (safety first on this one; beware of glass and ceramic-and don’t forget the jackstands), and then rustle up a transfer belt and a heavy volunteer and simulate what nurses and their aides do all day long, and all night, too: lifting and transferring those who can’t do it for themselves.

Take it all to the venue, and you can either “train” your own 70+ year-old students…who might not be old enough to retire, under the new proposals…on how to do these types of jobs while the crowd watches-or you can invite older members of the crowd to try their hand at moving the bricks, or lifting the tray. Bring a medical worker and you can show them what lifting looks like, too-although I would be unlikely to invite the crowd to do that one without some kind of training.

(Do I have to warn you that this could get someone hurt, and you’ll have to use a reasonable amount of caution when you do this? I didn’t think so.)

Again, get it all on video-and then get that video right up on the Web.

Our final idea for today might be my favorite-but that might be because I used to be a caterer, and this really fits my sense of humor.

You know those “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef” shows?

And you know how we refer to that Deficit Commission as the Catfood Commission?

Well…why not sponsor a “Catfood Contest” at your Congresscritter’s event?

Again, you could go two ways: invite “contestants” in chef’s whites to create delightful dishes with the Commission’s Catfood, or you could judge competing sculptures; they do both at the Spam Jam in Waikiki, and if it was me I’d steal the ambiance of this kind of an event from Hawai’i, especially since it’s Spring Break season anyway.

An alternative way to do this: performance art of an elderly couple having a Catfood Commission BBQ, cooking Catfood patties on portable grills to make a point.

So there you go:

We have two weeks to get ready to have two great weeks of fun just really tightening the screws on those Members of Congress who are looking to jack America out of Social Security, and we have ideas on the table that you are entirely welcome to borrow, or adapt, or outright steal-and with any luck, other readers will toss in some ideas of their own-so get your art on, gather your props, and bring extra video batteries and a blank tape to give the police…just in case.

And here’s one last thing to remember: this isn’t just about turning back a disastrous plan to break the backs of Americans for decades to come-it’s also about having a good time.

Well-executed comedy makes people agree with you, and to like your message, and that’s a powerful thing; the more fun you’re having, the better the whole thing is going to work.

Now go forth, make some mischief, and watch the magic happen.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This post was written with the support of the CAF State Blogger’s Network Project.

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0
0

Filed Under: User Tagged With: activism, campaign-for-americas-future, congress, economics, national, off-the-record, poli, social-security

Comments

  1. fake-consultant says

    April 3, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    …would first notice a government shutdown april 13th, when the first 1/3 of “regular” social security checks go out.

    <

    p>(“regular” social security? those on ssi were paid on the 1st.)

    Log in to Reply
    • centralmassdad says

      April 5, 2011 at 5:50 pm

      That is propaganda.

      Log in to Reply
      • fake-consultant says

        April 7, 2011 at 7:23 am

        …might come down to the deficit social security ran last year and the matter of cashing in treasuries.

        <

        p>in times past social security could operate out of its own cash, but this year is unique because tax cuts reduced social security’s “intake” last year.

        <

        p>that’s going to require social security to “tap its surplus”, and that requires the agency to cash in federal securities to get the cash to cover those checks.

        <

        p>as long as the treasury personnel are there to “do the deal”, things could go forward…but if not, there could very well be a problem.

        Log in to Reply
  2. peter-porcupine says

    April 3, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    Some of them MIGHT hold fundraisers, but nothing the general public would be invited to.

    <

    p>They’re Massachusetts Democrats – why would they expose themselves to the people in their districts?

    Log in to Reply
    • joeltpatterson says

      April 3, 2011 at 11:50 pm

      Mike Capuano shows up a lot around here, listening to and talking with the people in his district.

      Log in to Reply
    • david says

      April 4, 2011 at 1:16 am

      They’re out there all the time.  The fact that they don’t tend to show up at the Republican Town Committee rubber chicken fest doesn’t mean they’re not out meeting constituents.

      Log in to Reply
    • lightiris says

      April 4, 2011 at 4:06 pm

      Log in to Reply
    • peter-porcupine says

      April 4, 2011 at 7:16 pm

      Not fundraisers or DTC’s, but other events.  It might be wrong to judge them by Delahunt.

      Log in to Reply
      • christopher says

        April 4, 2011 at 7:35 pm

        Niki Tsongas does “Congress on Your Corner” and I believe others do as well.  They show up at various times to brag about the federal money they brought home.  Don’t knock fundraisers and DTCs either.  Fundraisers are often by “suggested donation” which don’t kick you out if you can’t or won’t pay and DTCs are mostly open.  Remember when Barney Frank made the comment about debating a dining room table and asked on what planet the heckler spent most of her time?  That was a DTC meeting.

        Log in to Reply
        • peter-porcupine says

          April 5, 2011 at 12:23 am

          Ray M. did introductions, but it was called a town hall.

          <

          p>(I have TONS of entertaining video of that – not just that poor deluded woman, but Frank’s answers to questions like why we can’t buy insurance across state lines).

          Log in to Reply
          • david says

            April 5, 2011 at 7:12 pm

            So your previous comment,

            <

            p>

            What on earth makes you think that MA congressional members bother to go to their districts?
            Some of them MIGHT hold fundraisers, but nothing the general public would be invited to.
            They’re Massachusetts Democrats – why would they expose themselves to the people in their districts?

            <

            p>was a load.  Can’t say I’m surprised, except that you allowed yourself to be caught out in such a painfully obvious way.

            Log in to Reply
            • fake-consultant says

              April 7, 2011 at 7:25 am

              …touché.

              Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recommended Posts

  • There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This Timing (3)
  • Promises made, promises kept (2)
  • Dems reach deal on IRA (1)
  • Great economic news today (1)
  • IRA passes 51- 50! (1)

Recent User Posts

There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This Timing

August 10, 2022 By terrymcginty 4 Comments

Site issue: Unable to reply to comments

August 10, 2022 By SomervilleTom 2 Comments

Why do PUKES oppose $35 insulin for diabetics with private insurance?

August 8, 2022 By fredrichlariccia 3 Comments

Promises made, promises kept

August 8, 2022 By fredrichlariccia Leave a Comment

Schedule F

August 7, 2022 By johntmay 4 Comments

Statement by President Biden on passage of the Inflation Reduction Act

August 7, 2022 By fredrichlariccia 1 Comment

Recent Comments

  • johntmay on There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This TimingI would not be surprised at all to learn that Trump deli…
  • fredrichlariccia on There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This TimingCould it also mean that KARM-A-LAGO might want to divert…
  • johntmay on There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This TimingIt's also amusing to hear Trump supporters blame an insi…
  • fredrichlariccia on There Is Not A Chance the White House is Happy With This Timing"President Biden victories?" You mean, the greatest achi…
  • johntmay on Site issue: Unable to reply to commentstesting 1 2 3 Testing One Two Three
  • johntmay on Site issue: Unable to reply to commentsSeems to be okay now...
  • johntmay on Why do PUKES oppose $35 insulin for diabetics with private insurance?Well, that's sad. Sure, your argument is a slam dunk wit…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

#mapoli

lowellcouncilor Darius Mitchell_ Massachusetts Governor 2022 🇺🇸 @lowellcouncilor ·
1h

I KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE IN!

MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS!

SEPTEMBER 6TH

GRAB A REPUBLICAN BALLOT!

VOTE 🗳

THE MASSACHUSETTS 1ST PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION GOVERNOR IN HISTORY!

DARIUS MITCHELL

THE #HIPHOP REPUBLICAN 2022

#IMAGINATION #FAITH #AUTHENTICITY

#MAPOLI #BOSPOLI #NHPOLITICS

Reply on Twitter 1557770585593315328 Retweet on Twitter 1557770585593315328 Like on Twitter 1557770585593315328 1 Twitter 1557770585593315328
reppaulmark Rep. Paul W. Mark @reppaulmark ·
1h

🚨 ENDORSEMENT ALERT 🚨

I am excited and deeply honored to announce that the Mayors of #Pittsfield and #NorthAdams have endorsed our campaign for State Senate!

#intheberkshires #mapoli #checkMark✔️

3

Reply on Twitter 1557770550738653184 Retweet on Twitter 1557770550738653184 Like on Twitter 1557770550738653184 Twitter 1557770550738653184
goodrica goodrica @goodrica ·
1h

The state should do more to help local communities with water and sewer infrastructure: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/11/metro/provincetown-sewer-emergency-forces-closure-restaurants-water-restrictions-homes/ #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1557769598337941506 Retweet on Twitter 1557769598337941506 Like on Twitter 1557769598337941506 1 Twitter 1557769598337941506
thereminderma Reminder Publishing @thereminderma ·
1h

The #Republican candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination said at a press conference at Riverfront Park last week the region “feels forgotten and left behind. We felt that. We heard that.”
#westernma #mapoli
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/springfield/doughty-has-plan-for-western-mass-if-elected-gover/

Reply on Twitter 1557766542623916041 Retweet on Twitter 1557766542623916041 Like on Twitter 1557766542623916041 Twitter 1557766542623916041
realjackstanton Jack Stanton @realjackstanton ·
1h

Thread:

The majority of #Provincetown is currently shut down due to a sewage emergency. This is a disaster for service workers and small businesses alike who make the majority of their yearly income in an extremely short season. (1/3) #mapoli

The Boston Globe @BostonGlobe

A sewage emergency on Thursday forced the closure of restaurants and public restrooms in a busy commercial district of Provincetown and the reduction of water usage in resident homes as workers raced to fix the issue in the midst of the busy summer season. https://trib.al/h2aKidK

Reply on Twitter 1557765367228993538 Retweet on Twitter 1557765367228993538 Like on Twitter 1557765367228993538 2 Twitter 1557765367228993538
headlineoptics Headline Optics @headlineoptics ·
1h

Nunes: Truth Social now available for pre-order in Google Play Store https://www.masspolicyreport.com/2022/08/11/nunes-truth-social-now-available-for-pre-order-in-google-play-store/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter @masspolicy #MApoli #Massachusetts

Reply on Twitter 1557764809298685958 Retweet on Twitter 1557764809298685958 1 Like on Twitter 1557764809298685958 Twitter 1557764809298685958
Load More

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2022 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.