What Obama Will —and Should— Say in His Budget Speech

Here’s what we know about President Obama’s budget speech today: He’s going to lay out a four-step, long-term budget-reduction plan. It’s going to involve defense cuts, tax code changes, and recommendations from his deficit commission. And he’s going to stress keeping domestic spending low and reducing health care spending, according to Roll Call. But here’s what Politico thinks he should say:

• Pummel Paul Ryan: Ryan’s budget is ripe for attack—after all, he wants to privatize Medicare, the most popular government program around.
• Don’t cozy up to the Gang of Six: A group of bipartisan negotiators in the Senate is working on a budget plan, but the last thing they want right now is a presidential endorsement, sources say.
• Dog-whistle to the base: Obama needs to say something to keep liberals on his side, but then…
• Throw liberals under the bus: Any deficit reduction plan this ambitious is a tacit trip into Republican territory. There’s no way it will please progressives.
• Go to Camp David: He’s got to do more than give a speech, and nothing says serious like a summit at Camp David.

(More Barack Obama stories.)