Obama Refers To "Social Security Crisis"

In an interview yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) explicitly used the word "crisis" in reference to Social Security, seemingly contradicting a progressive refrain that such talk is a red herring advanced by proponents of privatization.

"You know, Senator Clinton says that she's concerned about Social Security but is not willing to say how she would solve the Social Security crisis," Obama told the National Journal. "I think voters aren't going to feel real confident that this is a priority for her."

Less than two weeks ago, Obama seemed to take the opposite position. "I absolutely agree that Social Security is not in crisis," he said during the most recent Democratic debate.

Yet Obama has frequently addressed what he describes as a Social Security funding shortfall, which many experts say is overstated. "I can't understand how Obama can be this out of touch," economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote recently. "As a political matter, I don't understand why he would essentially try to undermine the first big victory progressives won against the Bush administration and the rightward tilt of the Beltway consensus."

Obama's campaign insisted that the senator was not identifying a crisis in Social Security, and that he has consistently opposed privatization. But it also delivered a veiled shot at Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for not addressing the issue in detail.

Obama "believes the Social Security solvency shortfall is a real but manageable problem, and he has laid out a specific plan for addressing it," the spokeman told the Huffington Post in a statement. "Instead of avoiding tough subjects and taking different positions in front of different audiences, Barack Obama believes that presidential candidates should be clear with the American people about the challenges we face."

That wasn't good enough for fellow campaign rival Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), whose campaign said in a statement: "It is, frankly, irresponsible to say there is a 'Social Security crisis' when there are those who are looking to pounce on such characterizations as a justification for privatization."

Comments

[realitytrumpsbull]

I know how to fix social insecurity­...
immediately enact a 976 quintillion percent
increase in the income tax rate....th­e dollar
will be 1-1 with the peso soon enough, as
soon as it's worthless and there's no more
gummit po-gams, then they can print the Newdollar in odd-numbered denominations, and
only have 17 dollars total in circulation. Starve peasants, starve! LOL

[Boadicea]

Anyone who can count can see that we're going to have to do something about Social Security. Other countries have already taken measures. But not us. We can't admit there's a problem. And thanks to Reagan, ours is even worse than it should be.

Blaming the Republicans won't fix it.

Pretending the problem doesn't exist won't fix it.

Romanticizing about FDR won't fix it.

Wishing won't fix it.

Let's hear some plans so that we can all enjoy the program we've been investing in.

[Nonamnesiac]

This guy Obama's working overtime to get his polling numbers as low as he can. He's funnier than Stephen Colbert. From bombing Pakistan to attacking baby boomers to his comments on Social Security to he can't promise to be out of Iraq by 2013, this guy is not only not ready for prime time, he's not ready for any time.

Why doesn't this idiot just drop out and back Richardson -- and Edwards should follow on his heels. That way at least anti-war forces could actually unite behind a "mainstream" type truly anti-war, pro-Constitution candidate.

Obviously Kucinich would make the best President by far. But if people can't make that leap -- they think the idea of a Department of Peace is somehow a bad one -- at least Richardson represents what Howard Dean used to call the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

[Independent voter]

This is specious. OBama clearly doesn't give a rats ass about the baby boomers and their useless ideas from the 1960's. So why get into a froth about social security.

I really hope that Biden or Edwards can make a string showing in Iowa. Obama was an empty flash in the pan - a no go show boat. And Hillary is a corporate owned proxy candidate for sleazy bill. If Edwards or Biden can't make a good showing then we're going to be stuck with Pres. Rudy for eight years.

[bobo6]

Regarding Social Security,have most people lost sight of the fact that jobs that pay living wages have been lost and that the workers that still remain in the industrial workforce are employed at ever decreasing wages?That alone places the the system in a precarious position.W­ithout the same funding levels from the same or increasing amounts of eligible workers you cannot expect the system to return the same level of benefits.W­ith outsourcin­g,downsizi­ng,diminis­hing Union participation with the resulting loss of benefits for the American work force the funding for the system will never reach the levels that are so crucial to it's success.Un­til this Corporation driven scheme is curtailed the average American citizen will have the same bleak lifestyle that they had before the Social Security System was instituted.

[Trittydi]

"He's an idiot. . . Parents are probably idiots too"
~~~~ Back to the Future I

That's it - I've had enough. I'm voting for Edwards - AGAIN.
*

[Stevelagain]

Laugh. Oh, Obama is just so tough on Hillary. She may not be convincing voters she wants to fix social security?

Translation: Pick me for VP Hillary, Pick Me. I'll never point out to voters why they REALLY shouldn't vote for you.

[meese]

There *is* a problem with social security, and it will grow in severity as we do nothing about it. No, we do not have to switch to private accounts like the GOP wants, but Obama is right to take this issue on.

[OhPlease2007]

ABC NEWS: Edwards Picked Over Obama as 'The Un-Hillary'

Teddy Davis, Nov. 8, 2007

Former North Carolina Senator Nabs Coveted Iowa Endorsement

DES MOINES, IA -- Caucus4Priorities, a group seeking to redirect spending from the Pentagon to domestic needs, plans to endorse John Edwards Friday in Des Moines.

The decision to endorse Edwards over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama came down to "courage versus caution," according to the group's executive director.

"There's a rhetoric gap with Obama," executive director Peggy Huppert told ABC News. "He told me personally: 'Trust me. Ideologically, I'm with you.' But people have told him to be afraid of being pushed too far to the left. He doesn't bring up [cuts in Pentagon spending] on his own. He doesn't incorporate it into his speeches. He skirts around it. He talks around the edges. He never gets to the heart of it in strong, bold language."

Edwards, by contrast, won over the group with his harder edge.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS (Edwards Picked Over Obama as 'The Un-Hillary', Nov 08,2007)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3840606&page=1

[poopdeck]

Without the sure income from SS taxation, our Presidents would have much harder times to wage wars because the money is borrowed by the Federal Government the moment it arrives in Washington. Senator Obama has never made an attempt to stop this (read: make a lock box the law of the land). In fact, he has helped President Bush to raid the SS fund by voting funds for the war in Iraq. Every time this Senator talks about money he tries to make us forget his pro-war votes in the Senate.

[poopdeck]

Without the sure income from SS taxation, our Presidents would have much harder times to wage wars because the money is borrowed by the Federal Government the moment it arrives in Washington. Senator Obama has never made an attempt to stop this (read: make a lock box the law of the land). In fact, he has helped President Bush to raid the SS fun d by voting funds for the war in Iraq. Every time this Senator talks about money he tries yo make us forget his pro-war votes in the Senate.

[mmckinl]

Obama has blown it. Of all the problems this country has SSI is well down the list. SSI is the last chance for many , many people and talk of crisis is BS, SSI is solvent until 2042.

Until now I considered Obama as a choice , no more.

[williamg]

Hillary won 530 million dollars in earmarks this year. No other Senator had more than her. Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama had a grand total of less than half of hers. This is all the more reason why Social Security will become a crisis. Being number one in earmarks is not responsible. Yet she feels being economically responsible will take care of the potential crisis. How convoluted is that?
http://www.hillnews.com/leading-the-news/clinton-tops-2008-rivals-gets-530m-in-earmarks-2007-11-09.html

[gevan]

Obama is the only candidate under 50 years old. Everyone of that generation knows that Social Security won't be around for them after the boomers suck the system dry. "Crisis"? Or just the facts, mam?

[Grandmother]

Obama better remember we baby boomers are the ones who vote. He lost me a long time ago and his continued attacks on HRC only alleniate him further from the biggest voting block in the country. Does he think Joe Biden is too old, or Bill Richardson or does he think those of us who have paid in for all these years should just give it up for "his" generation. I think Mr. Obama needs to be put in his place. He is not presidential material. Also as noted in a previous post the Republicans would slice and dice him so bad that they would not be able to find the body parts in the Chicago river.