rssObama’s Improbable Social Security Attack
Monday, September 22, 2008 at 10:12 am
- 4 Comments
Sen. Barack Obama is opening a new line of attack against Sen. John McCain, his Republican rival, arguing that a vote for McCain could endanger Social Security as we know it. That’s technically true, but highly unlikely.
Last week, I reported that the financial crisis enabled Democrats to attack McCain on Social Security privatization — a largely forgotten issue that could “gain traction in swing states with large elderly populations.”
This weekend, Obama hit McCain on Social Security in Florida, a state with one of the oldest demographics in the country. Seniors make up 17 percent of the Florida population, and an even higher share of the electorate.
Obama warned that if Republican privatization plans had been implemented, over the past week “millions would’ve watched as the market tumbled and their nest egg disappeared before their eyes.” He also told voters that McCain “wants to gamble with your life savings.”
Even if you accept that characterization of Social Security privatization, though, it is unlikely that a McCain administration would succeed in privatizing the program. A GOP-controlled Congress could not pull off the task in 2005, coming off Bush’s reelection.
Any similar proposals would likely be D.O.A. in the next Democratic Congress.
Obama is still right to expose the pitfalls of McCain’s pro-market past. Neither candidate pulls punches when an opponent’s plan is unlikely to be implemented, either.
But these Social Security attacks are a bit like a Democratic version of the Republican attack on guns — even if a Democratic president prioritzed a huge federal crackdown on gun ownership, it would never get through Congress.
4 Comments
Comment posted September 22, 2008 @ 8:31 am
Given that the Republican-dominated Congress refused to pass any form of “personal account” scheme under Bush it's likely true that no matter what McCain favors the Congress won't deliver it.
Nonetheless, that McCain does favor such a scheme is significant. McCain's position reflects his attitudes and his priorities. The underlying message from Obama seems to be that McCain is not committed to helping the average person. That matters. McCain favors something that not even a Republican-dominated Congress would enact (heck, they never even really introduced enabling legislation, they were so unenamored of the idea.) If McCain is a “maverick” here he's a “maverick” completely in sync with George W. Bush and the interests who back Bush and who want to destroy Social Security for reasons that are utterly remote from any desire to provide retirement security to Americans.
Or does the independent think that Social Security is so inconsequential that the label “improbable” can be hung on Obama?
Comment posted September 22, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Given that the Republican-dominated Congress refused to pass any form of “personal account” scheme under Bush it's likely true that no matter what McCain favors the Congress won't deliver it.
Nonetheless, that McCain does favor such a scheme is significant. McCain's position reflects his attitudes and his priorities. The underlying message from Obama seems to be that McCain is not committed to helping the average person. That matters. McCain favors something that not even a Republican-dominated Congress would enact (heck, they never even really introduced enabling legislation, they were so unenamored of the idea.) If McCain is a “maverick” here he's a “maverick” completely in sync with George W. Bush and the interests who back Bush and who want to destroy Social Security for reasons that are utterly remote from any desire to provide retirement security to Americans.
Or does the independent think that Social Security is so inconsequential that the label “improbable” can be hung on Obama?
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