Obama Weekly Address: GOP Trying To Destroy Social Security (VIDEO)

ERICA WERNER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama used the anniversary of Social Security to trumpet Democrats' support for the popular program and accuse Republicans of trying to destroy it.

Seventy-five years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday: "We have an obligation to keep that promise, to safeguard Social Security for our seniors, people with disabilities and all Americans -- today, tomorrow and forever."

Some Republican leaders in Congress are "pushing to make privatizing Social Security a key part of their legislative agenda if they win a majority in Congress this fall," Obama said.

He contended that such privatization was "an ill-conceived idea that would add trillions of dollars to our budget deficit while tying your benefits to the whims of Wall Street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market."

Most Republicans, in fact, are wary of touching that idea, because Social Security is virtually sacrosanct to voters, particularly seniors.

Nonetheless, Democrats have been able to seize on the issue because of a proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, that would allow younger people to put Social Security money into personal accounts.

Ryan's idea is similar to a proposal pushed unsuccessfully by former President George W. Bush. It's not been endorsed by party leaders and has attracted only a small number of GOP co-sponsors.

With Social Security's finances strained, policymakers talk frequently about the need to address the solvency of the entitlement program. How to do so is less clear, as Obama's comments Saturday underscored.

Obama said he's "committed to working with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who wants to strengthen Social Security." But he proposed no ideas for doing that.

Many Democrats adamantly oppose any cut in benefits to reduce costs and some won't accept a gradual increase in the retirement age, something that was done in the last overhaul in 1983. Republicans say an increase in Social Security taxes is out of the question, even for the wealthy.

Unless Congress acts, Social Security's combined retirement and disability trust funds are expected to run out of money in 2037. At that point, Social Security will collect enough in payroll taxes to cover about three-fourths of the benefits.

Obama has created a bipartisan fiscal commission that is supposed to come up with recommendations in December on improving the government's troubled finances and has said everything should be on the table.

Republicans used their weekend address to accuse Democrats of pursuing an "extreme ideologically driven agenda" that threatens the nation's economic recovery.

"I am deeply concerned about the direction we're heading in right now," said former Rep. Pat Toomey, speaking for the GOP. "That direction is being driven by extreme policies that are coming from one-party domination of government in Washington. ... It's time we put some real checks and balances back in place this November."

Toomey, the GOP Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, focused on bailouts for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as the car companies; the economic stimulus legislation that has failed to cut unemployment rates; and Obama's health care law.
"Now, where do all these bailouts, takeovers and spending sprees leave us?" Toomey asked. "They leave us with a weak economy without job growth and with a mountain of debt for our kids."

Comments

[GENERATIONaleX]

05:51 PM on 08/19/2010

Social Security must be phased out. If we don't get rid of it, people in my generation will be left with a bankrupt government program that will pay us nothing, even though we have paid in our entire lives. ilovegenerationx.com

I will happily take that 6% of my paycheck, plus the employer match...and save and invest it on my own. The government does not have a right to my earnings.

[man4ourseason]

03:26 PM on 08/18/2010

It seems to me that one party wants to end every program that came about at the Time of President Roosevelt. That party and President Clinton ended one of the safeguards in the system and the result is what you see in Housing and the economy. Now that same party wants to end Social Security and give all that money to Wall street, and will Wall Street still be there when you retire? Why risk it. Do not return those men and woman to power.

[tbone99]

01:38 PM on 08/17/2010

Obama trying to blame the Repugs for the SS cuts and privatization he and the Congress are about to sign on to when his Debt Commission announces its decision in Nov., AFTER the elections ( damage control scheduling)

He appointed two co chairs who have already declared their intents to cut SS and push for privatization,prior to even studying the issue. Nancy Pelosi has already scheduled an up or down vote as soon as the decison is announced . There will be little to no public input.

Screwed again by Bipartisian o'Bama

[KWHOO]

02:24 PM on 08/17/2010

Where did you get this information? Is it on the congressional record? I have been unsuccessful proving your comments.

[tbone99]

03:26 PM on 08/17/2010

Just one of the many articles about it.

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/05/10/obama-packs-debt-committee-with-supportes-of-social-security-benefit-cuts-and-privatization/

You may have to google the part about Pelosi sneaking in the up or down vote on another bill

[Bowlingkev]

12:21 PM on 08/17/2010

Do you know how you can tell when Obama is lying?? You can see his lips move....

[DNlightN1]

11:27 AM on 08/17/2010

The Left’s OVERDUE NEEDED POLITICAL STRATEGY:
As the right has successfully dismissed Obama’s remarks that contribute the economic woes to the Bush’s policy and what Obama inherited by saying “there he goes again blaming Bush,” the left must DO the same with the constant daily Obama bashing, which is relentless. This strategy will work. All left activist should and must begin to constantly repeat like a persistent drumbeat, “oh there they go again, blaming everything on Obama,” or “oh, there they go again, constantly criticizing Obama.”
The right has been too successful with their lock-step message. By saying the above quotes over and over again will eventually, over time, dismiss the nonsense, malicious, and untruthful agenda from the right. I urge you to pass this message to everyone, so that we can somewhat balance out the political arena.
Thank you,
DBR

[KWHOO]

02:25 PM on 08/17/2010

Who wants to become what they despise?

[jmpurser]

10:24 AM on 08/17/2010

Yes the GOP wants to kill/privatize Social Security while the Democrats "merely" want to use it to squeeze a few more years of labor out of the working class.

Both pursue their approach to making the wealthy wealthier on the backs of the rest of us.

[KWHOO]

02:27 PM on 08/17/2010

I also think this is the rights strategy to finally just incorporate America and get out of the representative democracy game all together. Every man for himself..

[libwithaclue]

10:15 AM on 08/17/2010

This is what the president should be talking about, not some stupid mosque.

[KWHOO]

02:28 PM on 08/17/2010

Oh, I don't know. It does somehow seem important for the President of The United States to support and defend the US Constitution.

[libwithaclue]

03:29 PM on 08/17/2010

If he can't get himself re-elected or help the Democrats retain control of Congress, then he's useless. He can defend the Constitution by not loosing his presidency, because we know what the thuglikkkans think of that document. Returning power to the Republican Army of Darkness will reverse many of the few gains he's made. I voted for him to stay in office long enough to reverse this country's slide into dictatorship, but if he can't stay in office, then I wish he had stayed out of it.

[jane8877]

11:27 PM on 08/16/2010

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/38730244#38730011

Scares me to death that the DNC guy would not commit to the Dems standing firm against huge cuts and privatizing SS and Medicare. Watch the entire clip to the end and see the host, standing in for Ed Schultz, say "I THOUGHT we elected a democrat for president."

Yeah, so did I.

[floodberg]

10:57 PM on 08/16/2010

MAYBE I'M BEING PICKY, BUT...

Mr. President, your own Deficit Committee just advocated cutting social security. You're on the same page as the evil Republicans, just squabbling over how much like a murder of crows fighting over carrion. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-zeese/cut-social-security-are-t_b_654161.html

The only people who are interested in protecting social security are the now financially destroyed 99%ers; 'upward mobility' was replaced by 'downward mobility' (Carter's tax cuts, 1980), housing equity gone, credit scores dropped by collapsing credit lines (assuming anyone's lending), retirement funds cut in half, employment prospects (at lower wages, benefits) nonexistent, no public option or constructive access to healthcare (but Afghanis got public health).

The Democrat commitment to our well being is shown by creating more downward pressure on wages by

(1) offering 'stimulus' tax cuts to business without first requiring creation of US skilled jobs,

(2) making taxpayers pay for USAID programs to train cheap foreign labor to perform skilled work for US companies,

(3) breaking your promise to renegotiate NAFTA,

(4) pursuing FTAs with more countries with cheap labor pools which the democrats had sidelined,

(5) massive funding of the Wars for Private Profit, and

(6) will be sending 46 US warships and 7,000 marines to Costa Rica under the guise of a 'drug interdiction force.'

(7) advocating amnesty.

This 'bipartisan' government united by greed doesn't work for the 99%ers, Mr. President. This Independent progressive is voting against 'democratic' incumbents in November.

[dino213aa]

10:12 PM on 08/16/2010

Republicans have been doing their part to insure all American's chips are in the hands of the few oligarchs who grease their palms from election cycle to election cycle. The days of bipartisanship are over, Barack. I voted for you because I thought you'd kick the other team in the backside and get things done. Instead I'm left feeling like a sucker.

[wonketteRAWKS]

10:11 PM on 08/16/2010

Of course they are Mr. President, but of course, you'll compromise with them and cut benefits and tout how you saved it.

[sagondo]

08:48 PM on 08/16/2010

Since the GOP couldn't get the public to go along with its scheme to give their Wall Street pickpocket buddies access to our golden years safety net, they now want to punish us by destroying a program that have kept millions of elderly Americans off the streets. Just imagine how this nation would like if it were not for Social Security? The mere thought that elected officials would endorse or propose eliminating such a vital program is beyond my comprehension, though it does speak to the fact the GOP's interest and concern is not with the collective public.

[Mad Jack]

04:07 PM on 08/16/2010

Obama the constitutional scholar conveniently chooses to forget the Democrats back in 1968 began the until recent (when it became) wholesale robbery of the Social Security Trust Fund. Republicans can't claim innocence, since they soon afterwards jumped on the gravy train. The article's comment that Social Security's finances are strained is an almost comic misstatement (to use Washington parlance). Tapping the piggy bank and then leaving worthless IOU's and using the funds for all kinds of progressive social programs, has wreaked havoc on Social Security, not the beginning retirement of Baby Boomers.

[jazzman]

02:21 PM on 08/16/2010

When Obama starts defending Social Security, I start wondering how long it takes before he makes a deal to dismantle it. Obama stood tall on dismantling Guantamo Bay - It's still there. He said he was for the public option - it didn't make it into health care reform. He said that he stood for net neutrality - he did nothing to stop the Google - Verizon deal, which he and the FCC could have by reclassifying the Internet. So now he's all for Social Security but he's got a Social Security opponent, Alan Simpson, heading his bipartisan deficit commission. Should we believe Obama?

This is a President who makes 50% of his concessions to the Republicans BEFORE he starts negotiations. He then takes the rest of the 50% and gets 25% of what he promised and still gets no Republican votes. Here's a President who after facing the Party of No for two straight years constructs a bipartisan deficit commission stuffed with Republicans who want to dismantle SS. Should we believe Obama?

You decide.

[shelby35]

04:04 PM on 08/16/2010

FCC cannot enforce net neutrality because of court ruling which curbed their authority; BTW Alan Grayson is against it so even progressives are drinking the telecom Koolade

GITMO was bitterly opposed by GOP who got the media and municipalities to refuse to try the detainees. Conservadems and the media are to blame. Obama is at fault for not countering strong enough.

Alan Simpson is balanced out by Andy Stern of the SEIU and Xavier Becerra and Jan Schakowsky and Dick Durbin. It is also stuffed with Democrats who wish to keep it.

[PoliSci2008]

04:18 PM on 08/16/2010

I had emailed Sen Candidate Danny Webster's proposal to reduce SS benefit to 2007 to two of my colleagues, who are white as the driven snow and hardened Republicans, and I have it on good advice that they will vote Obama a second term if the GOP uses SS benefit reductions on their platform.

And if Obama should make concessions to the GOP, then I might need to abandon the Obama vote!!!!

[sarabono]

01:36 PM on 08/16/2010

Just a bunch of camel dung. I wonder if he think's thing through before he speaks ?