Obama Has Worst Week In Presidential History

[Update – just read this and it must be included in this list – the Obama budget sets in motion a plan to PRIVATIZE TVA, see:  Obama Honors Thatcher with TVA “Privitization” Plan, Kicks Ordinary People in the Stomach Again – end update]

I will be very brief here, because I’m really just too disgusted to write in detail about any of this:

1. Social Security Cuts

Obama’s budget proposed to cut Social Security cost of living adjustment – all while raising taxes on the poor and middle class.

Obama becomes the first Democratic President ever to propose Social Security cuts. No revenue increases for the wealthy or raise in the $110,000 income cap accompanied or “balanced” these proposed cuts. Social Security plays NO ROLE in the deficit, and therefore can not be justified on “fiscal” auserity or budget deficit grounds.

Despicable.

2. Climate Collapse – Concession to Big Coal 

Obama just caved to Big Coal and killed EPA’s proposed rule on NEW power plants – read the NY Times story.

The move is being spun as merely a delay due to litigation risk, and not a concession. While EPA did make a legal error, make no mistake, it is a total political cave.

We will never see this rule reproposed in a way that would BAN NEW COAL. 

[Note: After listening to the Obama Energy and EPA confirmation hearings – both candidates praised coal and supported the “all of the above” Obama energy strategy, while EPA signaled retreat from even recommending that GHG emissions be considered in coal export policy or NEPA review –  my sense is that EPA will propose a new rule that establishes new coal power plant BACT as CCS – wasting billions more R&D on fossil subsidies and keeping coal alive another generation. “Cost effective” CCS “retrofit” might also be the approach to existing plants, allowing them to remain operating while CCS R&D tries to develop a cost effective or feasible technology –

And lets not forget this groveling: Obama campaign adds ‘clean coal’ to website after GOP complaints. At least Jeff Biggers sure as hell didn’t]

This is a devastating blow for any regulatory strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And the collapse is not just political – it illustrates a monumental strategic and legal error by Lisa Jackson and her supporters in the ENGO community.

EPA’s proposed rule for new power plants reversed the previous 40 years of EPA’s “best available control technology” (BACT) approach under the Clean Air Act, which was base on fuel and facility type. This resulted in different BACTs for coal, gas, and oil fueled power plants.

Instead, EPA set BACT for a single category on power plants (based on the carbon emissions from natural gas – 1,000 lbs per MMBTU).

This is not legally defensible under the Clean Air Act. What was Jackson and her ENGO cheerleaders thinking?

Ironically, EPA would have been better off doing nothing, because no one is building NEW coal power plants due to the glut and cheap price of natural gas.

Worse, as we warned, this Obama collapse for NEW coal means there is no way he has the balls to get significant emissions reductions from EXISTING coal plants.

We are truly fucked.

3.  Clean Water Cuts

At a time when the best evidence from the ASCE Report card concludes that we need to invest $298 billion over the next 20 years for water infrastructure, Obama’s budget proposes to  cut $474 million from the State Revolving Fund (SRF) that pays for those investments (this is in addition to prior cuts due to sequestration)

Much more investment is required if adaptation to climate change is considered and infrastructure asset management is changed from a voluntary to a mandatory program.

4. Endless War – Endless lies

The Obama lies about his “kill list”, drone program, and expanding war on whistleblowers continue to be exposed – see this.

Really, how much worse can it get? Read Chris Floyd on rethinking.