Liberals worry Obama would agree to entitlement cuts in second term
Liberal Democrats and their allies are concerned that President Obama has not made more of an effort to talk on the campaign trail about protecting Social Security and Medicare.
Obama has criticized Mitt Romney and Republicans for endorsing the budget from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), which would create a premium support system to compete with Medicare, but that rhetoric is of little comfort to liberals who remember the concessions he floated in last year's deficit negotiations.
Without strong assurances from Obama that he won't agree to cut Social Security and Medicare, liberals worry they might have to do battle over the issue if the president wins reelection.
"If I were the president, I would come down hard and fast. Social Security is inviolable. I have a bill to boost Social Security. That's what he should be talking about," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
