Obama’s saying Social Security is “going to run out of money”? Still pushing that RW talking point, I’m afraid.
The time to push back on this important issue is now, not in the general election.*
By the way, Charles Gibson really, really blows goats. Truly the worst debate moderator EVAH. (He sure got animated talking about the capital gains tax, though, didn’t he? The thought of paying more was making him QUITE agitated.)
UPDATE: Ed Rendell is attacking ABC for spending “the first 45 minutes of the debate on gotcha questions.” U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah points out all the time spent on questions about the capital gains tax “when millions of people are losing their homes.”
The studio audience of undecideds gives it to Clinton by 55%.
*I know one sure cure for the anti-Boomer sentiments of the young: “Keep Social Security going, or look forward to elderly Mom and Dad living in your spare room - or more likely, your fold-out couch.”
That’s his dog whistle to the Gen X and younger crowd about how us evil boomers are going to retire some day and suck their money like vampires suck blood.
Until this campaign I had no idea how much hostility there was toward baby boomers, like we generated ourselves out of nothing just to be a plague on the earth. Yet the “greatest generation” that produced us is lauded by Tom Brokaw and others. You go figure.
Obama was like a fish flopping in the boat gasping for air. He must have said what 10-20 times in so many words “can we change the subject?”.
You should be happy Susie. Clinton scored many points tonight.
If there’s anything that this election shows with crystal clarity, it’s that we need debates organized by the League of Women Voters again.
And if the networks won’t carry them, webcast ‘em.
Considering that there had not been a ‘debate’ since the Wright controversy or the ‘gaffe’ - I suppose that it probably wouldn’t have started out much differently had any other network had hosted this debate. NBC’s last couple of debates were somewhat pathetic too.
That said, I appreciate the thought that homeowners losing their houses are a big issue of the day but both campaigns are mostly like minded.
The capital gains issue is interesting because that does speak to the issue of taxation fairness and it does seem extremely unfair that someone making their living trading stocks/hedge funds pays 15% on their income whereas the bulk of American’s pay over 30% on their wages.
Watching Obama equivocate and ultimately fail to step into the footprints that he had made earlier about a substantial increase on capital gains taxes was rather disappointing. I was glad to see that line of questioning myself.
WWJED (What Would John Edwards Do?)
Hillary - a little less clear but committed to raising the capital gains tax…
Obama - ??? - I simply couldn’t find any reference to ‘capital gains’ on his web site including the ObamaPolicy_Fiscal.pdf. Apparently Obama had a ‘Tax Fairness Plan’ last September but it seems to have vanished but it is referenced in the NYT here
I was uncomfortable with his waffling the question tonight and am uncomfortable with the fact that this seems to be one of those policies that may have gotten lost.
If Clinton won, it has nothing to do with her and EVERYTHING to do with Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolos. That some here think that is a good thing is just plain pathetic.
If you’d asked me as late as 4/15/08 about Obama’s saying Social Security is “going to run out of money” I’d have agreed with you, that for some unknown reason Obama was indeed pushing a RW talking point. Then yesterday I read a post by PGL @ Angry Bear about “Social Security. Issue Brief No. 4″ entitled Social Security Reform: Mechanisms for Achieving True Pre-Funding” just released by GW’s The Treasury Department. In the post PGL first quotes -
then translates -
Since Reagan these ‘conservatives’ having been using the SS surplus to hide their deficit spending - the bonds are there but the money to pay for them must come from the general fund (where the actual $$$ went) meaning some major tax increases down the road in order to redeem these bonds and thus restore the SS trust fund to actual dollars that can be sent to SS recipients. Or perhaps the rethugs are seriously thinking of defaulting on the SS treasury bonds when they come due . Yikes.
One good thing about being 51 & a smoker, I will not live to see it!