Social Security Privatization: McCain's Achilles Heel?

It was a spectacular flop: a president making dozens of fruitless trips around the country to build support for a plan his own party's leadership refused to accept.

But President Bush's failed push to privatize Social Security has not deterred John McCain from putting forward the same idea -- and from risking a similar political disaster.

McCain, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, spoke several times last week about changing how the popular retirement program is funded, at one point calling it a "disgrace" that younger workers are forced to pay for a plan that, in his view, is unlikely to benefit them when they retire.

Democrats are gearing up to turn McCain's stand on Social Security, and his willingness to consider a privatization plan, into a key campaign issue. They say changing the program in that way would undermine retirees' benefits, and they hope to use the issue to harm the Arizona senator's support among a set of voters who tilt toward him -- seniors.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[GOP4MoreTears]

If ya enjoy be rung through an emotional wringer, fears and tears, then the GOP is your kind of party, and John McSame is your Guy.

[darthdarcy]

McCain wants let the swindlers Phil Gramm's horde of scoundrels in on the Social Security money next so they can steal and destroy that too..!

[jeffp26]

McClone = Bush.

Why he wants to make that clear is beyond me.

McClone waited his entire life to run for president, and now he wants to be another W??

[lennix]

the msm is so sorry that i can't even watch it any more

[AnotherToerag]

Attention Hillary supporters who say they'll never vote for Obama: Would you rather see our troops in Iraq indefinately, or end this war soon? Our brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren are fighting this war and Bush, Cheney, McCain and the others in support of it will not even have the decency to let America and the world know what the goal is. McCain says he won't leave until we've "won" the war, but he does not say what conditions must be met in order to define the war as a "victory". Please also keep in mind that Clinton also shares the same views as Obama when it comes to the war.

1. No WMDs. - Check
2. Saddam removed from power - Check
3. The surge has apparently created an environment of less violence so the U.S. can scale back troops - Check.
4. The Iraqi leadership has called for a timetable for the removal of U.S. troops - Check.

Really... what else needs to be done?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

"Really... what else needs to be done?"

Do you have any money left in your pocket?

[NickNas]

Is it Monday???? YES it is MONDAY...The Start of yet ANOTHER week of HUGE Stories of McCains Foul-ups , Mistakes, and getting caught in lies, in Print and Video. BUT the MSM will just let him skate on by without mentioning ANY of it as usual.

Why do we bother?

[mom2sons]

You expect us to endorse a plan that will play the stock market with our money. He must really think we are stupid. Worse person ever. Talk about welfare. This man has received tax payer funded everything since he was born. Can anyone add up or estimate how much he and his family has received in healthcare, disability, salary, military pension, and any other benefits. Talk about WELFARE! This makes me angry!!!!!

[AnotherToerag]

I'm assuming you're talking about McCain and his privatized social security plan here?

[JJeff88]

I sure hope someone in ObamaLand is "making a list and checking it twice."

Claiming that each new generation helping to shoulder the economic burden of older generations (i.e. the fundamental underpinning of Social Security) is an "outrage" is...well...an outrage and belongs on a list of other outrageous comments made by the McCain forces (including the one about the "mental recession").

In the past, Democrat presidential campaigns have committed the same error of not having long enough memories. They should avoid being forced to point out "what we should have said" on Nov. 5 (one day too late).

At crunch time, the Obama people should trot out a chalkboard or Power Point list of McCain gaffes and read it to the people early and often to remind them what the Sen. from AZ really stands for.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

Obama would be crushing McCain in the polls if Obama was running as a bona fide opposition candidate.

Most people are disgusted with Republicans, and for very good reasons.

Instead of taking advantage of that, Obama is now trying to pull away votes from some of those who might vote for McCain because McCain is a Republican.

Instead of saying, "I am different than the Republicans and here is why," he is saying to those somewhat non-committal Republican voters, "You should vote for me because I am somewhat like the Republicans that you know."

Here's some more things that he could say to them.

"Do you want to be assured that I'm not one of those weak liberals who is overly concerned about Constitutional rights? You can trust me, I voted for the telecom immunity bill."

"Are your church donations inadequate to support the spread of your influence? I'll vote for tax dollars to be transferred to church programs as faith-based initiatives."

And the list could go on.

Obama is taking a chance that there are more voters who want a Republican-lite candidate.

The amazing thing is that even his most ardent supporters have realized this to be true. You can see this in the way that they react. Rather than express confidence in such shift-to-the-"center" or shift-to-the-right strategy, they demonstrate their lack of confidence by attacking those who voice such concerns.

[loax]

MOre continuation of Bush falied policies!

[keepemhonest]

New York Times(7/13/08) McCain said, "I'm in the Theodore Roosevelt mold,"
Their differences on MAJOR issues.

*Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to call for Universal Health Care & National Health Insurance
- McCain opposes Universal Health Care & National Health Insurance.

* T.Roosevelt was FIRST to propose, draft, sign into law government Social Security Act 1935.
- McCain wants to PRIVATIZE Social Security (vulnerable to stock market.)

* T.Roosevelt supported labor unions.
- John McCain eliminates union jobs with massive pro-Free Trade agreements with China, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Oman, Singapore, Chile and Morocco.

* T.Roosevelt helped create jobs.
- McCain has helped jobs move overseas with his MANY Free Trade agreement votes.
- McCain calls people who want jobs to stay in USA, "Protectionists" as if it is a BAD THING to "Protect" American jobs.
- McCain would label Teddy Roosevelt a "Protectionist."

* T.Roosevelt was critic & watchdog of Corporate America.
- McCain bows down to Corporate America.

*T.Roosevelt was a conservationist who didn't even want Christmas Trees in the White House because he didn't want trees cut down.
- McCain would rather drill for oil in the ANWAR (cutting down trees) than the 68 million acres oil companies already have.

*T.Roosevelt QUIT the Republican Party BEFORE he ran for President.
- McCain became rightwinged Republican SINCE his current run for President.

*T.Roosevelt was 42 years old - the youngest person to be elected President.
- McCain is 71 -

[sociocanuck]

TDR screwed native Hawaiians out of an independent Hawaii rather explicitly (documentary evidence left behind) effectively just for economic, political, and military gains. John McCain doesn't have any nearby territory left to annex, unless he declares war on Canada...

[loax]

Privatize SS? Waht a spectacular continuation of a faile policy of Bush. His clone wants office, and continue to make programs for profit than not for profit. Watch your SS checks shrink fast than a speeding bullet. This man is a joke with his policies!

[JohnFromCensornati]

This is just more MSM spin hoping for a horse race.
It's over.
Johnny lost Florida last week with his SS remarks.

[VivaZapata]

poor mccain, embracing every loser idea to endear himself to the lowest scum on earth. how funny that the same creeps who've been raiding the social security system and who insist on bailing out one mega corporation after another have the audacity to tamper with the last leg of decency left in our tyrannical governmental structure.

[naschkatze]

He has more Achilles heels than he has feet: Social Security, Iraq, not knowing a booger's worth of economics, his flipflops, his questionable private life. . .