Krugman: Why All The Republican Candidates Are Attacking Social Security

[eridani]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/17/1412741/-Krugman-Why-All-The-Republican-Candidates-Are-Attacking-Social-Security

Historically speaking, politicians who have attacked Social Security (oft-described as the "Third Rail" in American politics) have not fared well with the American people. The program, originally designed to provide supplemental retirement security for all Americans, is actually a critical financial lifeline for millions. Many elderly people would either be pushed into squalid, poorly equipped nursing homes, forced to live with their children (assuming they have them) or cast out into the streets without the modest monthly income most paid taxes for all their lives to support and ensure. When George W. Bush began to push to "privatize" Social Security into accounts dependent on the stock market, his efforts were quickly squelched by Democrats and even some Republicans who responded to the public's overwhelming disapproval of such measures. In retrospect this probably saved millions of older Americans from becoming destitute when the Bush economy crashed in 2007-2008, wiping out billions in stock values.

It seems, however, that the near-universal popularity of Social Security has failed to make much of an impression on nearly all of the current Republican candidates for President, who have publicly announced their intent to impose cuts in benefits, privatization, or other drastic reductions to a program that is neither "insolvent" nor in any financial peril:

Thus, Jeb Bush says that the retirement age should be pushed back to “68 or 70”. Scott Walker has echoed that position. Marco Rubio wants both to raise the retirement age and to cut benefits for higher-income seniors. Rand Paul wants to raise the retirement age to 70 and means-test benefits. Ted Cruz wants to revive the Bush privatization plan.

[CBGLuthier]

1. Of course the one thing all of these entitled assholes have in common is they will never

need SS for anything. Screwing your fellow man is hard, but lucrative work.

[Sherman A1]

3. Precisely

Hit the nail one the head. They simply want to raid SS for the benefit of the campaign contributors.

[tecelote]

2. This is why our entire government is screwed up...

"Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, writing for the New York Times, thinks he knows why the new and prevailing Republican line is so completely contrary to what the vast majority of Americans want--it's the simple fact that these GOP candidates do not represent the vast majority of Americans. In fact, they only represent a tiny, miniscule sliver of Americans, barely enough to fit into a skybox at a professional football game. That is the entirety of the American electorate to whom these candidates are beholden to."

[Scuba]

6. /\_/\_This_/\_/\

[JDPriestly]

4. K&R. Here is the link to Krugman's original article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/opinion/republicans-against-retirement.html?_r=0

This is a must read.

[phantom power]

5. Social security hasn't been a "3rd rail" for a long time now.

Conservative politicians talk about cutting it or ending it all the time now, and suffer no real consequences for it.

The only 3rd rail in American politics is military spending. Nobody talks about decreasing our defense budget.

[Scuba]

7. /\_/\_And this_/\_/\

Even a twice-elected Democratic President put Social Security cuts on the table.

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. Indeed. "Making tough choices" is now the way to look like a very serious person.

Making tough choices that you don't need to is simply being an asshole.

[B Calm]

9. It was named after socialism and they hate socialism (unless it's for the rich,

then that's okay).

[Jim Lane]

10. Not just named after -- the charge was made back then

At least one of the Republicans in Congress who opposed FDR's proposal said it was socialism.

And, to some extent, it is.

[closeupready]

11. If SS is somewhat socialist, then so is the mortgage interest deduction.

[B Calm]

12. and on and on and on. The US military is the biggest socialist program in the USA,

and republicans embrace that.

[Jim Lane]

13. I wouldn't call it socialist because it's regressive, not progressive.

It's a form of redistribution but that's a broader category. Payments or subsidies to the people who are doing better than average doesn't count as socialism in my book.

[closeupready]

15. Of course, we can all write our own dictionaries - 'socialism' in your dictionary

will not be 'socialism' in almost anyone else's dictionary.

Not trying to be argumentative; I respect that you honestly disagree with me.

Nevertheless, the intent of both social security and the mortgage interest deduction is to essentially make life materially easier for taxpayers through targeted government spending. At a macro level, there is clearly an important, irreplaceably socialist element to both equations. That doesn't make either program communism or Naziism or any other scary totalitarian thing.

[GoCubsGo]

17. They hate it because it's one big pot of money they can't steal--for now, anywy.

That's why they're so hell-bent on privatizing it. Anything to get that massive pile of dough into the hands of the banksters...

[Eleanors38]

14. The reason: Smash SS and you finish off the Democratic Party.

It is one of the few issues even the Party "leadership" hasn't cowed down on or walked away from, and the GOPers know that if they kill SS, they will drive a big chunk of Democrats away from the Party. The result will be Permanent Power.

(The other issue is a woman's right to choose, which the GOP is pounding into the ropes with hardly any resistance.)

[edhopper]

16. But not a one

talks about raising and indexing the ceiling. Which would fix everything.