"Harkin, Dean raise doubts on Social Security tax holiday; AARP has no objection"

Josh Gerstein (Politico):

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.) are both raising doubts about an aspect of President Barack Obama's tax-cut deal that has not received much criticism: a one-year, two-percentage point cut in employees' share of the Social Security payroll tax. By contrast, a group which usually mounts staunch opposition to changes in the Social Security funding mechanism, AARP, has said it is not troubled by the proposed payroll tax holiday.

"That’s another thing that I really disagree with the president on...this two percent cut in the payroll tax that goes to the Social Security trust fund. The last thing that we need to do is invade the Social Security trust fund to provide for things right now for people’s living," Harkin said in little-noted comments Wednesday on C'-SPAN's "Washington Journal." "They’re going to make up that by it taking out of the general fund, in other words: debt. They’re going to put debt on our kids head to pay for that. That bothers me. That bothers me a great deal."
(SNIP)
Dean, who doesn't get a vote on the package, took a similar tack on CBS's "Face The Nation" Sunday. "The 2 percent payroll tax sounds great, but in fact they take it out of the Social Security trust fund. Now, here we are complaining about the Social Security trust fund going broke and we take $120...billion of revenue out and use it for a payroll tax mitigation," Dean said.

"This is a short-term Washington fix. It does nothing about the biggest long-term threat to America, which is the deficit. I don't hear Republicans or Democrats talking about the deficit. There is no pain in this agreement. This is the easy way out for everybody," the ex-governor and former Democratic National Committee chairman said. MORE...

Tom Harkin: "I just think it was bargained away too soon."

Brian Beutler (TPM):

Channeling Democrats' frustration with the current state of affairs, Harkin suggested that Obama cut a deal too quickly. "A good lawyer compromises on the court house steps, not back in the conference room," he said. "And we never got to the court house steps. We never got to the point where people really had to sit down and make a deal. I just think it was bargained away too soon."

And that's just the Senate, where the legislative package will face its first hurdle. A similar calculus exists in the House, where an unknown number of House Republicans are expected to defect. Democrats will have to more than make up the difference to win an up or down vote, and at this point it's unclear whether that's possible.

"It would be very difficult," said House Dem conference chairman John Larson this morning, to sell this plan to the Democratic caucus on his side of the Hill. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Things aren't looking that good for "the deal" in the House: "Over 100 House Dems oppose tax cut deal, changes now likely" (Chris Bowers-Daily Kos).

"Harkin: If Obama Caves On Taxes, He Better Pray For Palin In 2012"

Sam Stein (HuffPo)

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) did a little less dancing. "I just think, if [Obama] caves on this, then I think that he's gonna have a lot of swimming upstream [to do]," said the Iowa Democrat, a unabashed progressive who has been less reticent than most in criticizing the White House. "He campaigned on [allowing the rates for the rich to expire], was very strong on that, and sometimes there are things that are just worth fighting for."

And if he decided to compromise away from that, a reporter asked the senator.

"He would then just be hoping and praying that Sarah Palin gets the nomination," Harkin replied, insinuating that there would be few other Republicans that Obama could assuredly beat in 2012.
MORE...

Harkin: GOP using 'reverse psychology,' actually afraid of health bill passing" (with video)

The Hill with video from MSNBC (04:38):

Republicans are using "reverse psychology" on healthcare reform, urging Democrats not to pass the bill because they're afraid it will become popular.

Harkin says that GOP threats to campaign in 2010 on repealing healthcare reform are hollow, since Republicans know Americans will like the bill once it becomes law.

"I've been around here long enough to recognize reverse psychology when I see it," Harkin told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell today. "If the Republicans and Mr. McConnell thought that this was going to be devestating to the Democrats they would be sitting back and rubbing their hands and saying 'go ahead and do it."

Harkin said that Democrats will be able to sell the bill to voters once someting passes, and Republicans won't have the courage to campaign on repealing some of its more popular provisions, like banning insurance companies from dropping coverage when a policyholder becomes sick.

"They want to repeal that? I welcome that campaign," Harkin said.

"We pass this bill, by reelection time the American people are going to say, 'You know, those Democrats did a good thing in getting this health reform bill through," he added.

Howie P.S.: Tom's right, but it's fear psychology---nothing "reverse" about it. They're tring to scare the Dems with weak knees.