As McCain Surrogate, Graham Calls His Own Social Security Idea "Dumb"

Surrogacy on behalf of a presidential candidate can, on occasion, force a politician to deride his own past positions. Such was the case Sunday morning when McCain super-surrogate Lindsay Graham found himself trying to cover up the Arizona Senator's admission that he will consider raising the payroll tax as a way of reforming Social Security.

"Senator McCain believes you cannot tax your way into Social Security solvency," said Graham. "If you want to deal with Social Security, you've got to deal with all the moving parts. That is whether or not you allow young people to invest or have an account in their own name. Do you adjust the age? Do you adjust, reschedule the benefits based on upper-income people? John is not going to tax our way into solvency because it will ruin the American economy... But to raise taxes to save Social Security from bankruptcy won't happen. It's a dumb idea."

How dumb an idea could raising taxes be? After all, back during the heyday of the Social Security privatization debate in 2005, it was Graham who was pushing the concept of a Social Security "donut hole" tax, in which the system would be buoyed by revenue raised from taxing the first, say, $90,000 of income and the later $300,000 plus. At the time, the South Carolina Republican, who advocated taking a portion of that revenue to create voluntary personal retirement accounts, was winning plaudits from some reform minded Republicans and scorn from the conservative base. As George Will put it aptly in a March 11, 2005, column in the Washington Post:

"Now [Graham] has an idea that makes some Republicans throw up: Raise the current $90,000 limit on income subject to Social Security taxes. Republicans who throw up should grow up. Intelligent people can differ about whether Graham's suggestion is economically unwise or politically imprudent. However, it hardly blurs the distinction between conservatism and Bolshevism. The Social Security tax rate has been increased 20 times in 70 years, and the cap on income subject to the tax is indexed to average wages and adjusted annually."

Now, however, Graham seems firmly entrenched in what Will would describe as the raising-taxes-makes-me-throw-up camp. McCain, on the other hand, is tougher to define. Last Sunday he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that when it came to Social Security: "There is nothing I would take off the table," including a payroll tax hike. Days later he told a crowd in Colorado: "I want to look you in the eye. I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase. I will not do it." All of which prompted an columnist in the Wall Street Journal to wonder out loud, in the column's title no less, "Is John McCain Stupid?"

Comments

[lvdragonlady]

Why can't ALL income be taxed? Why the gap between 90K and 300K??
The people between these to amounts will be getting SS also so why are they NOT putting money in just like everyone else?

[hchriste]

Social Security is a tax. All of the reform talk is just blue smoke. Social Security is only allowed to invest in U.S. Treasury Notes. Every single penny going to Social Security is spent by the government as part of the general fund and SS payments. A big part of the National Debt is owed to SS and as Treasury rates dip so does the interest owed to SS. Just allow Social Security to invest in good investments, stock market, municipal bonds, banks, it would create jobs and be solvent. Instead of letting individuals invest part of thier SS in the stock market let SS invest in good investments.

[imusintheevening]

Good investments, like the stock market year-to-date, the banks that just failed?

A better solution would be to get Congress to keep their grubby little hands off the money they force us to put away for retirement.

If they want a war - raise taxes for it - then see how popular it is.

[ShamusNYC]

Graham's a fool who will parrot anything McC says - if McC said that the world's flat, he'd fight for that position too.

However, this is not a useless skill set - in fact, I think it's a requirement for Faux News.

[BobinKS]

Only makes sense since McCain disavowed his own immigration bill. They are partners.

[f4skyhawk]

Also when Graham asks who is "they" in terms of who Barack is referring too when he says they will try to make you sc ared of me - I want to let him know they is him and the rest of the replublican party and bush campaign staffers of willie horton infamy trying t
o make believe they dont play yhe race

[Grunty1]

Mc'Cain's words do not represent his own campaign.

[schicklett3]

"Lite in the loafers Lindsey" (thats what he's called in South Carolina) is trying so hard o be important. Well, he's about as important as teets on a chicken. LOL

[dwillisno1]

You don't like chicken breasts? What a boob.

[imusintheevening]

He is a bit of a financial sage though. When he went to Iraq, he bragged, "I bought 5 rungs for 5 bucks." Nice way to treat the people you went to liberate, huh.

[zendem1]

L indsay still havsn't recovered from the trip to the sausage shop with Grampa. He saw all those big sausages and he started to shake and sweat. Thought the Rap-snatch had come and he had been yanked up to heaven.

[Cookie100]

LOL

[truegreen]

McCain's campaign is going to soon implode.

[NoSandwiches]

John McCain applied for and receives social security benefits even though he has absolutely no need for them. They are a small drop in the vast sea of wealth for him--chump change, and yet he did not have to decline the benefits--he had to apply to get them. Perhaps he needed this money in order to purchase his 520 dollar Itallian shoes? Maybe his wife won't give him an allowance?

[levibatgirl]

lindsey calling her own plan on soc sec from the past 'dumb'.

She must just get all flustered when anyone dares criticize her man crush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwBirf4BWew

[SeeDaddy]

Didn't you look at the picture? Lindsay Graham is a "he!" A male!

[TotobiAyokoh23]

The Wall Street Journal asks whether McCain is stupid. He is not only stupid; he is dangerous.

[lincheryl]

He is dangerous because so many voters are also stupid. They are like the ant on the wall.

[Insearchoftruth]

Those retired and nearing retirement need to pay attention. MCCAIN WILL CUT BENEFITS. There are only two options, raise revenues or cut benefits. If McCain taxes raising revenue off the table, cutting benefits must be his solution.

[swift goat pet for truth]

If you really want the truth, here it is:

If future GDP matches historical GDP (last 40 years), SS never runs out of money. NEVER.

SS puts out 3 projections. The one you hear is the middle estimate, which projects future GDP at about 1% LESS than historical GDP. The most optimistic projection uses a GDP about 0.2% LESS than the historical GDP, and under THAT scenario, SS gets into a little trouble about 20 years out, then recovers. You can go to their website to verify this.

I know why Corporate Media does not mention this.

I do not know why the Dems don't mention this.

[lincheryl]

I see McCain totally reducing benefits since Phil Graham thinks we whine and he doesn't even want the veterans to have better benefits. Why should non-military people get any respect from him? He doesn't have a clue what it is like to worry about how to pay the electric bill or to not seek medical care because it is too expensive.

[missmarple]

And yet it is seniors mostly who support McCain. Where is the wisom that they are supposed to have - if they prefer to vote against their best interests.

[going2ireland]

I have just one question. If the government is willing to provide free health care to the illegals and it be paid for by the middle class, why can't the government expect the uber rich to fund the social security pot without them being able to collect social security??

[robotfog]

I was wondering something similar. I know elderly people and disabled people who are truly poor. They get almost nothing a month. McCain, a millionaire (along with mike wallace and others), receive payments they don't need.

I don't believe in the argument that if you paid in, you *deserve*to get a check. If I somehow became affluent enough to not need social security, then I wouldn't care about the money I put in. Anyone who doesn't need to collect should be happy to know that real poor people are being taken care of.

[mommamia526]

Now, here is *da thing* Lindsey has not considered. Medicare and Social Security taxes are levied on income, not only on payroll. The dollar has tanked, therefore, the real disposable income has tanked, and increasing the level of income limits on which these taxes are levied is NOT an INCREASE IN TAXATION. It is just an adjustment for real income. Like a COLA. No new taxes and other such slogans, are just that, slogans to get the stupid to vote for you. Similarly, having a good Universal Healthcare Program is not socialism, socialized medicine, taxation, etc. It will involve streamlining of administration, doing away with Medical Malpractice Lawsuits - another overhead - simplification for physiians and better and more centralized and accessible records, for example when a patient moves. An increase of the level of disposable income on which Medicare Taxes and Social Security Taxes are levied, together with a lower healthcare premium and better care, which one can not lose of which causes a treated illness to become a *preexisting condition*, not covered, is real lowering of cost and real economic gain. Paying for these costs is just that paying. It is not free, it is not charity and it is not taxation; it is insurance.The total out of pocket expense for Americans will be lower, and will really buy something they need.

[Bluejay00234]

Blah.

[neesy08]

who came up with the idea of a income limit? everybody should pay into the system.

[bikerdude]

The rich "have mores" came up with that one.