Social Security and the Candidates
One of John McCain’s key demographic bases of support is old people, particular older working class Americans. These are much the same people who are likely to be strong supporters of Social Security. McCain, meanwhile, not only thinks that the very idea of a pay-as-you-go public pension system is a “disgrace” but was a firm defender of George W. Bush’s unpopular plan to dismantle the program and replace it with a riskier, less progressive system of mandatory private investment accounts. Under the circumstances, a lot of people have been waiting around impatiently to see Social Security play a larger role in discussion of McCain and his agenda.
As you can see over on the right, the AFL-CIO is stepping up to the plate with a hard-hitting mailer that not only tags him as a Social Security opponent but notes that his thinking on retirement seems to reflect his own vast wealth. Certainly it’s true that anyone with an heiress wife and a U.S. Senate pension can probably get along fine without Social Security but that’s no reason for McCain to try to make the rest of us get by. The DNC’s also put together a two-minute web video reminding people not only of McCain’s position on Social Security but also specifically trying him to the right-wing campaign against the program that’s been going on even longer (just barely) than McCain’s been alive.
At the same time, Christian Weller has a post up at the Wonk Room contrasting McCain’s approach with Barack Obama’s efforts to make retirement more, rather than less, secure:
Moreover, Sen. Obama wants to make it easier for people to save. He would require that employers automatically enroll their employees in retirement savings plans and, if employers don’t offer such plans, they would have to offer employees an easy way to contribute to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) through payroll deduction. On top of this, he would vastly improve the current system of public matches for people’s contributions to their retirement savings accounts, at least for families making less than $75,000.
The press has amasses an impressive record over the past several election cycles of letting Republicans who favor privatizing Social Security get away with claiming they don’t favor it, but this time around there seems to be a more concerted effort to try to make the point clearly so maybe that will change.
33 Responses to “Social Security and the Candidates”
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August 14th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
nope.
instead, the conversation over “maybe privatization is a good thing!” and “SS is bankrupt! worthless IOUs!” will start all over again.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
The press has amasses an impressive record
Woo hoo! The Matt Y. we know and love is back!
August 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
For anything much to come of this, Obama will have to jump on the Social Security attack. I’m not sure why there’s any reluctance about this: one would think that 2005 would have shown that there much to be made and little lost in attacking the Republicans over their support for phasing out Social Security.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
This flyer takes exactly the right tack: “McCain’s old–but don’t think that means he’s a big protector of Social Security benefits! In fact, he’s an extremely rich old person which should lead you to believe quite the opposite.”
Cleek is right. Of course part of the problem with the media coverage is that they don’t understand or don’t want to delve into, the actual policies being proposed. “Taking a portion of your payroll taxes and putting them in a private account” sounds pretty cool to some people, but it’s an absurd proposal, and has nothing to do with making the system more secure. The Bush proposal wasn’t for private accounts at all; it was for borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars which would be invested in the stock market, and then doled out to you at retirement, minus the interest the government had to pay to borrow money for your “private account”. That’s what McCain supports.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
In a bad economy I gotta think people might be a little more disturbed by the prospect of losing social security. It’s a difficult time to think about the wonders of the private investment market and growing your nest egg in one of those financial companies who keep going down the tubes.
With that said, I almost think it’d be cool if we went about this trojan horse style: get some conservatives to scream about insolvency again. That seems like the best way to get the media off their asses and move SS up the priority list a bit. Once the issue is closer to front and center, people will pay closer attention and see that one candidate wants to improve SS while the other’s solution means blowing it up. But short of that, I fear the subject just won’t get the attention it deserves.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
In the spirit of this mailer, I’m surprised no one has made anything of McCain’s out-of-touch response to a reporter who asked him whether he drew Social Security benefits and, if so, how much? McCain responded to the effect that, yes, I started receiving them whenever I became eligible in whatever amount I was eligible for. Basically, Social Security benefits were of about as much concern to him as the change under the sofa cushions.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
One semi-subtle point:
I bet there is going to be relatively little backlash over the unions “personalizing” this issue by bringing up McCain’s financial circumstances. And if I am right, I think that will in turn count as one of the costs of McCain’s decision to push the “celebrity” line of attack (which, incidentally, appears to have had no lasting effect on the contest).
August 14th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Another reason i don’t understand why people consider supporting the wrinkly old guy.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
One of the core principles of the McCain campaign has clearly been to simultaneously campaign on both sides of any issue and expect that a compliant media would not call them on it.
McCain is opposed to privatizing Social Security but wants government to “get out of the way” and set up privately run accounts.
Asked by the MSM if he would consider raising payroll taxes to fund Social Security he consistently answers “all options are on the table”, suggesting he is open to the idea. Before conservative groups his response to the exact same question is consistently “there will be no new taxes in my administration”.
McCain is in favor of Cap-and-Trade but opposes setting a strict cap on greenhouse emissions. He has also run ads which mock Obama for supporting a program which would increase energy costs, that program is Cap-and-Trade.
McCain constantly says that he strongly supports alternative energy as part of his all-of-the-above energy plan. Oddly, McCain has not chosen to vote in favor of a single bill which included alternative energy provisions within the last two years.
In speeches McCain has consistently supported new spending for infra-structure and transit improvements. When independent groups try to estimate the costs of these programs his campaign angrily suggests, effectively, that John McCain does not represent John McCain’s spending plan, when he is speaking, therefore such promises should not be included in McCain’s budget plan.
There are plenty of other examples for this trend.
There are some who accuse Obama of flip-flopping, McCain has gone one better he simply runs on both sides of every issue.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Is it just me or is the AFL-CIO the only group refocusing this election to the merits–that is to core economic issues? Obama is better on every single issue for w95% of Americans but the campaign is not even talking about it.
I know outside groups with an agenda (hence labor) will do there job, but the obama campaign is not talking about these things. They must.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I think this ad may unwittingly advocate means-testing social security, something which is very controversial on the Left.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Is there actual evidence that older voters skew towards McCain?
August 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Why am I voting for Obama?
I will not vote to keep killing our bravest young people for 100 years.
I will not vote for a man that sends young people in harms way buts votes continuously against supplying then with needed equipment.
I will not vote for a man that voted against added funds for VA hospitals.
I will not vote for a man who does not know that 9-11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden not Sedam Hussein.
I will not vote the man who does not know if the Sunnis or Sheits are our enemies!
I will not vote the man who voted against increasing benefits for the military that he sends in harms way.
I will not vote to keep putting our government on the China, Saudi Arabia credit card.
I will not vote for tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
I will not vote for broken promises on the deficit.
I will not vote For a man that helped turn a projected surplus into a national debt of 9.2 Trillion and counting
I will not vote for tax credits for health care rather then a national health care program.
I will not vote in opposition to SCHIP.
I will not vote for and a right-wing Supreme Court.
I will not vote for a man who says the economic downturn is psychological
I will not vote for a man who says you are better off under George Bush.
I will not vote for a man who says irresponsible, undeserving homeowners are loosing their homes.
I will not vote for a man who voted against raising the minimum wage in, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2006.
I will not vote for a third Bush term.
I will not vote for a man who publicly called his wife a trollop and c*nt?
December 5th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Take Control of Your Finances educational program from the University of Florida/IFAS Lake County Extension will help residents better undertand their finances and develop a plan to secure their financial future, 6:30-8:30 p.m., today and
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