STRATEGIC MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Isaac Wright, Executive Director, Correct The Record
DATE: August 13, 2015
SUBJECT: On Social Security’s 80th Birthday, the GOP Has a Message for the Program: Your Days Are Numbered
The Republicans running for president have it in for Social Security. If elected, every single one of them would cut the popular and effective program that provides a safety net for millions of Americans.
Today, on the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of the Social Security Act, we can’t let the GOP contenders get away with hiding their out-of-touch and out-of-date beliefs on retirement protection that American seniors have paid into and rely upon for their economic security. From Jeb Bush’s support for his brother’s plan to privatize Social Security, to Chris Christie’s argument that Social Security reflects a “gimme gimme gimme attitude,” to Marco Rubio’s belief that Social Security and Medicare have “weakened us as a people,” the Republican candidates are part of a conspiracy to end Social Security as we know it.
The GOP on Social Security
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush supported “his brother’s proposal to privatize portions of Social Security.” “Under President Bush, for example, oil companies are expected to have an easier time exploring for new oil reserves. Gov. Bush — and most Florida politicians — oppose any oil drilling off the coast of Florida. And though Jeb Bush agrees with his brother’s proposal to privatize portions of Social Security, they may disagree over timing because such a move could anger seniors, still a powerful voting force in Florida.” [Orlando Sentinel, 1/21/01]
Jeb Bush slammed “gutless” congressional Republicans for not enacting his brother’s Social Security privatization plan. “One issue on which Jeb Bush believes Republicans dropped the ball was Social Security and Medicare reform. ‘I was disappointed that the Republicans didn’t rally around’ the president, he says. ‘It wasn’t just Democrats being opposed to it. I think it was the gutless nature of a lot of Republicans in Congress. This was the beginning of what I saw as the demise. When they had a chance to unite behind the president to advance a solution to this ticking time bomb, some did, but many blinked.” [Orlando Sentinel, 9/11/08]
Jeb Bush said the Social Security retirement age should be raised to “68 or 70.” “People that already have this supplemental retirement system, which is a contract — I don’t think we violate that. For people that are about ready to be, be beneficiaries of their supplemental retirement, I don’t think we change that. But we need to look over the horizon and begin to phase in, over an extended period of time, going from 65 to 68 or 70.” [CBS News, 5/31/15]
Jeb Bush: “The next president is going to have to try” to privatize Social Security. “Taking one question about his commitment to balancing the budget, Bush emphasized that entitlement spending is the biggest barrier to doing so, and promised that if elected, he would resume the last Republican president’s push to restructure Social Security. ‘My brother tried, got totally wiped out. Republicans and Democrats wanted nothing to do with it,’ Bush said. ‘The next president is going to have to try again.’” [National Journal, 6/16/15]
Chris Christie
Chris Christie released a proposal to cut Social Security benefits and raise the Social Security retirement age. “Christie, whose chances of winning the GOP nomination had already sunk to Ted Cruz levels, released a bold Social Security proposal on Tuesday. Specifically, he wants to cut benefits for those making more than $80,000 a year, end them for those making more than $200,000, and raise the retirement age from 67 to 69.” [FiveThirtyEight, 4/15/15]
Chris Christie proposed raising the Social Security retirement to 69 and the early retirement age to 64. “Christie would also raise the normal retirement age for Social Security —quickly, by actuarial standards — to 69 (it’s currently headed for 67) and the early-retirement age from 62 to 64.” [Yahoo, 4/14/15]
Chris Christie said that Social Security was part of a “gimme gimme gimme attitude.” “A frustrated caller named Jeff noted that he’d already seen his retirement age jump from 65 to 67 in his lifetime under President Reagan’s 1983 reform. He angrily asked Christie, ‘How many times are you going to move the goal line?’ The caller asked if Christie would consider, if president, would instead consider raising the income cap on social security payments to tax income beyond the currently-taxed $118,000 maximum. Christie quickly lost his empathetic demeanor. ‘I love this ‘gimme gimme gimme!’ attitude,’ said Christie, ‘These are facts: If we don’t do it, the money’s not going to be there. And the solution of a guy like Jeff is: Raise somebody’s taxes. Not his. Raise somebody else’s. I’m sorry. We hear this all the time. But the math doesn’t work, and somebody has to be willing to tell you the truth. And that’s what I’m doing.’” [NJ Advance Media, 4/27/15]
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio claimed that Social Security and Medicare had “weakened us as a people.” “In another sign that Medicare and Social Security will continue to be major issues in political campaigning and ongoing deficit reduction talks, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has drawn flak this week from Democrats and retirement experts for his comments that such programs have ‘weakened us as a people.’ Democrats called Rubio ‘out of touch’ and ‘beholden to the extremist Tea Party’ for his comments in a speech Tuesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in California.” [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/25/11]
Marco Rubio on Social Security: “We need to increase the retirement age for future retirees.” “This is some progress in adjusting Social Security to the modern era, but not enough to ensure that the program will be there for your kids and my kids. We need to increase the retirement age for future retirees to account for the rise in life expectancy.” [Marco Rubio, American Dreams, 1/13/15]
Scott Walker
Scott Walker said that cutting “entitlement programs” like Social Security and Medicare is “something that has to be done.” “The governor said entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, are expanding the federal budget deficit. Cutting entitlements won’t hurt the economy, he said. ‘I don’t think that has a negative impact on the economy,’ he said. ‘Politically, it may be a challenge for some folks in this town, but it’s something that has to be done.’” [Bloomberg, 2/23/15]
Scott Walker suggested he would support raising the Social Security retirement age.” At a forum Monday featuring 14 of the 17 major Republican candidates, Gov. Scott Walker suggested he would support raising the age to qualify for Social Security.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/3/15]
Ben Carson
Ben Carson supported raising the Social Security retirement age. “When Social Security was first enacted, the average age of death was about 63 years. It is now approaching 80 years and rising. Obviously we have to adjust to a changing situation. The age at which benefits are distributed should be gradually raised. I stress the word gradually because people must be given a chance to adjust their plans and expectations.” [Forbes, 1/29/15]
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz believed George Bush’s push to privatize Social Security “was the right thing to do.” “I also think you’ve got to give George W. Bush some real credit—he showed remarkable courage in the beginning of the second term taking on Social Security reform and personal accounts. It was the right thing to do. Sadly, congressional Republicans ran to the hills and abandoned him.” [CNBC interview with John Harwood, 4/9/15]
Ted Cruz supported raising the retirement age and means-testing for Social Security. “CAVUTO: So, what does that mean? Does that mean that you would eventually raise the retirement age? Would you means-test it? What? CRUZ: Well, it means you do both.” [Fox News’ Your World With Neil Cavuto, 6/4/15]
Ted Cruz said “there’s no doubt” that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. “SMITH: So I’m going to take that as a yes. That you believe that social security is a Ponzi scheme. CRUZ: I think there is an effort to treat that as rhetoric, but there’s no doubt that’s what it is.” [Texas Tribune Festival, 9/11/11]
Rand Paul
Rand Paul called Social Security “a Ponzi scheme” and supported efforts to privatize the program. “In the late 1990s, Paul — then a simple ophthalmologist and president of Kentucky Taxpayers United — appeared on several episodes ‘Kentucky Tonight,’ a roundtable-style show on public television. He talked about the elderly dying at the hands of Medicare rationing; the need to privatize Social Security, which he called ‘a Ponzi scheme;’ and the rights of the government to invest in racist companies.” [Talking Points Memo, 7/12/10]
Rand Paul said he would “individualize” Social Security by establishing private accounts. “I believe in less involvement in your retirement account, not more. I’d like to let you have a private account. I’d like to individualize Social Security and let you put it in an account with a number on and you log on and it’s your money. If you die, you could give it to your family.” [Lars Larson Radio Show, 4/15/15]
Rand Paul sought to raise the Social Security retirement age. “During my time in Congress, I have worked on proposals that would fully fix the shortfall in the Social Security program through a gradual increase in the age of full retirement and by means testing yearly earnings, while preserving those benefits for near and current retirees. These changes would only apply to younger Americans who have time to plan for the future.” [Office of Senator Rand Paul, accessed 11/19/14]
Rand Paul introduced a proposal that would increase the Social Security retirement age and cut benefits. “Under a proposal unveiled by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah), the qualifying age for Social Security would rise from 67 to 70 by 2032, while benefits for everyone earning more than an average of $43,000 over their lifetime would be reduced.” [Mother Jones, 4/14/11]
John Kasich
John Kasich proposed a Social Security privatization plan similar to Pres. Bush’s “that would reduce the Social Security benefits of future retirees by a total of about 45 percent.” “Some Republicans who claim that privatization will work are more up front about the need for benefit cuts. Rep. John Kasich (R-Ohio) has introduced a plan similar to Bush’s that would reduce the Social Security benefits of future retirees by a total of about 45 percent.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/26/00]
Rick Perry
Rick Perry said Social Security was a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie.” “Texas Gov. Rick Perry says Social Security is a ‘monstrous lie’ for younger Americans. ‘It is a monstrous lie. It is a Ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you’ve paid into a program that’s going to be there. Anybody that’s for the status quo with Social Security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids, and that’s not right.’” [Real Clear Politics, 9/7/11]
Rick Perry suggested that Social Security was unconstitutional. “Perry, who referred to the justices as ‘nine oligarchs in robes,’ said he was not convinced that Social Security and Medicare were constitutional. ‘I don’t think our Founding Fathers, when they were putting the term ‘general welfare’ in there, were thinking about a federally operated program of pensions nor a federally operated program of healthcare,’ he said in a book interview with Newsweek last fall. ‘Whether it’s Social Security, whether it’s Medicaid, whether it’s Medicare … they’re bankrupt. They’re a Ponzi scheme. I challenge anybody to stand up and defend the Social Security program that we have today.’” [Los Angeles Times, 8/23/11]
Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum was a major advocate for President Bush’s proposal to privatize Social Security. “Mr. Santorum is a member of the Finance Committee responsible for the program, and chairman of its Social Security subcommittee. Probably no Republican other than Mr. Bush has held more public events on the issue, though Mr. Santorum — lacking the president’s security cordon — has cut back after state-wide appearances in February drew protests by groups such as MoveOn.org and AARP. And no one has privately pressed harder for wary Republicans in Congress to stick by the president and his private-accounts proposal — and even to go for larger accounts.” [WSJ, 5/12/05]
Rick Santorum supported cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age. “Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program…Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, says changes should include a higher eligibility age to qualify for Social Security benefits, and tighter restrictions on benefits for upper-income people. Americans now qualify for reduced Social Security benefits at age 62 and full benefits at 66, soon to rise to 67.” [Huffington Post, 1/6/12]
Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal supported President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. “Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, and 10 other Republican House members were summoned Feb. 17 to the White House to talk to President Bush about Social Security. Jindal and Rep. Joe Schwartz, a doctor from Michigan, were the only freshmen legislators invited. In the hour-and-a-half session, attended by Vice President Dick Cheney, Jindal said Bush made his pitch for private investment accounts in Social Security and sought his guests’ views on reforming the program. Jindal favors the president’s plan to let workers divert payroll taxes to investment accounts, but he said he wanted to see more details and told that to the president. ‘They are open to ideas and very interested in reaching an agreement,’ he said. ‘But they are still very early in the process.’” [Times-Picayune, 2/27/05]
Carly Fiorina
Under Carly Fiorina’s leadership, Hewlett-Packard was a member of a coalition of businesses that pushed to privatize Social Security. “Even before President Bush elevated Social Security to the top of his national agenda in his State of the Union speech, he’d roused two powerful lobbying forces that had been arming themselves for a fight over the nation’s retirement system. […] Business interests have been awaiting this opportunity for years. More than six years ago, influential business and trade associations joined with corporations such as Hewlett-Packard and Pfizer to form the Alliance for Worker Retirement Security and push for changes along the lines the president now proposes.” [Knight Ridder, 2/3/05]
- The Alliance for Worker Retirement Security identified “the creation of private accounts as its No. 1 principle.” “The manufacturers group is the principal sponsor of the Alliance for Worker Retirement Security, a coalition seeking to revamp Social Security. On its website, the alliance lists the creation of private accounts as its No. 1 principle.” [Los Angeles Times, 1/30/05]
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham threatened to force the federal government to default on its debt unless Congress agreed to raise the Social Security retirement age and “means test” benefits for seniors. “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threatened to oppose this must-pass bill unless Social Security benefits are taken away from millions of future retirees: ‘I’m not going to raise the debt ceiling unless we get serious about keeping the country from becoming Greece, saving Social Security and Medicare [sic]. So here’s what I would like: meaningful entitlement reform — not to turn Social Security into private accounts, not to take a voucher approach to Medicare — but, adjust the age for Social Security, CPI changes and means testing and look beyond the ten-year window. I cannot in good conscience raise the debt ceiling without addressing the long term debt problems of this country and I will not.’” [Think Progress, 12/30/13]
Lindsey Graham introduced a proposal that would increase the Social Security retirement age and cut benefits. “Under a proposal unveiled by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah), the qualifying age for Social Security would rise from 67 to 70 by 2032, while benefits for everyone earning more than an average of $43,000 over their lifetime would be reduced.” [Mother Jones, 4/14/11]