Rick Perry Social Security 'Ponzi Scheme' Criticism Fails To Faze Republicans: Poll

Texas Governor Rick Perry's characterization of Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme" doesn't appear to be a problem for most Republicans, according to a new Gallup poll.

The survey, released on Friday, finds that the harsh words repeatedly used by Perry to define his stance on the program are largely non-issue for members of his party.

"As many Republicans say they are more likely to vote for Perry for president because of his views on Social Security as say they are less likely," Gallup's report explains.

In a GOP presidential debate held last week, which was Perry's first of the election season since announcing his candidacy, the Texas governor stood by a charge he makes in his book describing Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme." In taking aim at the 80-year-old program he argued, "You cannot keep the status quo in place."

Despite criticism from both sides of the aisle, Perry has not relented on his claim. In an interview with Time this week he said of Social Security, "If you want to call it a Ponzi scheme, if you want to say it’s a criminal enterprise, if you just want to say it’s broken -- they all get to the same point."

Below, video of Perry's comments on Social Security during his first GOP presidential debate appearance.

WATCH:

 

 

Comments

[Arissasbel]

09:53 PM on 09/19/2011

What Governor Perry said was truth and thank God someone had the courage to say it! Our Social Security System as-is now, is a Ponzi scheme! Imagine…a politician who finally tells us the truth! We, the People, need to be informed!

http://www.divineadvancedhumanbeings.com/solutions-to-stimulate-the-economy-we-the-people-need-to-be-informed/

[Keith Hollingsworth]

09:57 AM on 09/18/2011

That is because there are so many people out and about in this country, that individually make far less than $250,000.00 a year that due to their lack of knowledge, and or because they believe Thugs like Perry really give a crap about their, Christian Values, identify themselves as Republican, even though they are supporting a Party that has no use for them except for their vote. I guess that why Governors like Perry cuts funding for education here in Texas, so he can build on the uneducated and ignorant populous , that will vote for him without seeing how they are only hurting themselves, and thus putting these Carpet Baggers in office where they can do the Dirty work for their Big Money contributors, at the expense of the stupid working class guy that thinks he is a Republican!

[commonsensegrad]

01:39 AM on 09/18/2011

I wish there was some website or something and showed what each candidate (dem and rep) believed in. It needs to a black and white as possible. Like, for example: abortion? yes or no? What needs to be done about medicare/medicaid? (less than 50 words please). Either that or let's line every candidate up and ask the same exact question with a set time to answer. I'm tired of all the mud slinging from both sides. It seems like all of the politicians are just in it for the fame and fortune. None seem to give a clear cut answer to anything because they are either afraid of what people will think or what.

[Keith Hollingsworth]

10:10 AM on 09/18/2011

If you take your time that you are using to worry about how you can control a woman's womb and research, there is information out there to inform you of what these Politicians believe in. First of all if you let what they believe about abortion sway you one way or another about voting for them then you are definitely no grad of common sense. You nor any Politician has any business in any woman's womb. That is something that does not effect you, unless it is yours.
You should be more concerned about the issues that affect our country and the lives of every one. You need to be concerned whether a politician is legislating for all of the people or just working behind the scenes for their wealthiest contributors, that are trying to enrich themselves by oppressing the working class that worked their rears off to make them rich in the first place.

[commonsensegrad]

12:19 AM on 09/19/2011

First of all, the abortion thing was a simple example, and it wasn't the only example. Second, contrary to what you may believe, the abortion issue is big to many people. You may not agree, but many people consider it murder. However, like I said, it was a simple example that I meant no offense by. I don't understand why you made a personal jab when I was simply asking/suggesting something that was not pointed at anyone. Besides, if you know of a site like one that I suggested/asked for, I would really appreciate to know what it is because I have had no luck in finding one.

[Lahonda]

08:33 PM on 09/17/2011

Parry and thrust... don't fence me in Guvnah!

[talkofliberty]

08:04 PM on 09/17/2011

SS is the definition of a ponzi scheme. Where else do you put money in, with the hope of seeing 75% of it back in the future, what a crappy investment.

[dwillisno1]

10:02 PM on 09/17/2011

My 403B lost 30% overnight a couple years ago! It still isn't worth what it was 5 years ago.

[talkofliberty]

09:40 PM on 09/18/2011

First of all you probably didn't complain when it was up hundreds of percents either.

Second the fallacy is that you must invest in the stock market. Imagine you used the 200k to have a free and clear home, saving at least 4.5% in mortgage interest. This is just one example. The belief SSI is the only safe investment is simply a joke. We all know it will not exist when I am old enough to collect.

[wgdisk]

11:07 PM on 09/17/2011

Actually if you paid in $375000 you'll get back about $472,000 with normal life expectancy. Your figures are off by quite a bit. It also covers you children and your wife if any thing happens to you. It also provides you with disability income and health insurance if you should become disabled for some reason. And if it was as bad an investment as you allude to how would you explain probably 100% satisfaction with the entitlement. Also to date and for several more decades into the future the entitlement has not added one dime to the deficit. So I think what you said is a bit of an over reaction to the issue.

[talkofliberty]

09:46 PM on 09/18/2011

Well your assumption is that over 40 years, you would not see any growth in that investment, and it is simply worth the exact same amount that you put in. hardly a smart investment. Look how many are complaining on this post that the stock market is the same over the last 10 years.

100% satisfaction how is that possible, even if I am the single loan dissenter your stat would be 99.9999% so you are clearly pulling numbers out of your you know what.

Third, it does add to the deficit, because there is no trust fund, it has been spent on war mongering, and other government adventures like Solyndra. The money that was too be invested for the people has already been spent and is all gone. This is the biggest problem.

[rollo tomasi]

05:35 PM on 09/17/2011

Rick Perry is a Ponzi Scheme.

[Tulka2]

07:25 PM on 09/17/2011

Ha!  I know!  A guy just like him tried to get me to sell Amway once.  lol

[Beth Schindler]

01:43 AM on 09/18/2011

Oh, yeah, Amway was founded by the DeVos family which most likely believes Rick Perry is the greatest thing since "sliced bread".

Find out all about the DeVos family, enemy #1 of our public education system: http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/150868/the_devos_family%3A_meet_the_super-wealthy_right-wingers_working_with_the_religious_right_to_kill_public_education/?page=entire

[Lahonda]

08:30 PM on 09/17/2011

"Governor Drawlin' Ponzi."

[vinnieboiblue]

04:09 PM on 09/17/2011

Of course it doesn't phase Conservatives, they themselves use it and abuse it. How? A lot of them don't need it but yet, they signed up for it. It will hurt Perry, when he tries to get Independents, to vote for him, knowing he wants to do away with the "biggest Ponzi Scheme".

[StillAmused]

03:37 PM on 09/17/2011

Junior didn't "faze" Republicans, either. Two disastrous terms and they gazed, yawning, off into the distance.

They just saved up their complaints and whining for the next Dem to hold office. A uniquely GOP form of delayed reaction accountability.

What's new under the sun?

[Rosie Green]

07:10 PM on 09/17/2011

Not only did JR not faze Republicans with his disastrous two terms they are simply blaming Obama for what Bush did. They give their own a FREE PASS

[tea-party-2010]

11:17 PM on 09/17/2011

"They give their own a FREE PASS" - you

What do you think you and your party have been doing?

[reviewingthesituation]

08:56 AM on 09/18/2011

It seems to me they're just pretending neither Bush ever existed. To hear them, you'd think there hasn't been a Republican president since Reagan. My co-workers and I have a running pool: in any Republican debate, how many times will the candidates say, "Ronald Reagan?"

[Tulka2]

03:22 PM on 09/17/2011

I understand Huff Post and all other media love to keep it a horse race and it can only be an interesting horse race if the horses have a sort of equal chance. 

Does anyone have a good source for the percentage of voters who, in the year 2011, self-identify as Republican and/or Tea-party?

[maspring]

06:05 PM on 09/17/2011

Republicans tend to leave the ranks of the GOP when it loses. There's something about the species that needs to identify with success.

So, when Obama was winning on '07 there was a flight from the party and their numbers dropped to about 20% - 25% of registered voters.

Those people didn't go away, of course. They just started calling themselves Tea Party.

Last I heard self-identified Tea Party types broke 80% Republican and 15% independent.

You can make a guess at how big the Tea Party is by how much sway they have in the Republican nomination. If the Tea Party candidates take the nomination walking away then the Tea Party is the dominant force among registered Republicans.

So far it's far from clear that they have that much juice as Romney still has a better than even chance of being the ultimate nominee.

Taken all together I'd guess that the Tea Party makes up about half the registered Republican base. Half of 25% is 12.5%.

So, Tea Party = between 10% to 15% of the general electorate.

just a guess.

[reviewingthesituation]

09:00 AM on 09/18/2011

I think Boehner's situation is a bellwether. Teabaggers are going to run against Republicans who don't toe the Conservative mark closely enough for them. But their vitriol directed at Republicans will be as ferocious as that directed toward Democrats, Independents will distance themselves from both Republicans and Teabaggers at that point, I suspect.

[Tulka2]

03:10 PM on 09/18/2011

Thank you for your erudite reply.

[babby201]

02:57 PM on 09/17/2011

The way its financed fits the definition of Ponzi.
You cannot export labor, and depend on younger workers who can no longer find employment .
The original concept based on the premise of expanding population based on prewar statistics , the expectation of that portion of the population becoming middle class.
Not factoring the habit of upwardly mobile couples to have less children, the previous generation from agricultural backgrounds would bennifit from more children , the urban industrial era would be burdened by a large family of children.
Hence the work force tended to shrink to the proportion of those due to collect social security .
very like the Madoff Fraud , with early investors reaping what the latest investors were pumping into the system .
only option I can think of for funding this system is a national sales tax , as all the labor has been transferred overseas .hence no contributions into the system for all the people either unemployed or woefully underemployed ,as becoming more commonplace , there is no place in the workforce for production or middle management that goes with it.
every purchase , a transfer of cash out of the economy , and no one to pay into the system . a double negative .
politics , a moot point, you will suffer regardless of which way you vote.
So for the individual , the only option on a grass roots level is to shun imported goods , difficult as that might be ..

[Ellen Parsons]

01:37 PM on 09/17/2011

Funny about Republicans being that way. It is called having a one track mind. It just doesn't matter as long as it is Republican..... I think it is time to do away with the parties. People should run on what they really stand for, not just a flimsy ideology that means nothing any more.

[kiksadi50]

01:19 PM on 09/17/2011

The GOP really doesn't care that Perry is an embarrassment and a total jackass.They just want someone,anyone, to beat Obama and 'kick' him out of the White house, as Wolf Blitzer stated so eloquently at the top of the latest episode of ' Celebrity Jeopardy:The Debate'.I'll never get over those introductions & that set as long as I live. They really could have used the Laker Girls or the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders to make the spectacle complete.

[Lahonda]

08:31 PM on 09/17/2011

...a great whayte dope?

[librldem]

12:48 PM on 09/17/2011

In other news a tbagger lit a match in his bathroom this morning causing his house to explode right off its wheels.

[Lahonda]

08:32 PM on 09/17/2011

...inflated tayres?

[demisfine]

12:30 PM on 09/17/2011

It's funny that the GOP is so desperate that they are willing to bend over backwards to appease a small extreme faction of the party.
Scary that they are so secure in obscuring the vote that having a damaged candidate doesn't faze them at all.

[tiptopper]

12:11 PM on 09/17/2011

The republicans are so horny for a "real man" 90% would vote for V. Putin...