Obama and Clinton bicker over social security

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Race for White House 2008 on Nov 12 

Noticing that social security is on the road to bankruptcy, Barack Obama has been suggesting his solution: an increase in taxes, whereby the current $97,500 income cap on Social Security taxes would be lifted. Hillary acknowledged the idea sounded good, but rejected Obama’s proposal, insisting that primary voters vote choose her, so that she may then possibly float more vague ideas of fiscal responsibility and Republican conspiracy that has thus far been her platform.

Hillary’s argument against Obama plan was that, “If you lift the cap completely that would be a $1 trillion tax increase.” Surprising argument, as that would nearly be enough to not only temporarily deal with the monstrosity of Social Security, but would leave room to launch, say, an over-bloated, unconstitutional, health care plan. While her assertions that she would be fiscally responsible without “further burdening [the] middle class” are admirable, such statements ring about as true as her husband’s 1992 repeated campaign pledge not to raise taxes, even as he refused to “promise” not to do so – a scene which evoked images of a 4-year-old who says he won’t eat any more cookies, but won’t promise, because he knows he will be elbow-deep in the cookie jar the moment your back is turned.

Obama continued to challenge Clinton on her lack of answers on this and other issues, stating that “not answering questions because we’re afraid our answer won’t be popular just won’t do.” Hillary reaffirmed her position, boldly declaring that she is “for solving the long-term challenges of…Social Security.” Any specifics? Details? “I think primary voters do know where I am.” Wherever that is, she’s there hoarding a platform amid shrinking leads in the polls.

Comments

  • David Kaiser

    I have to say that at the JJ Dinner, Obama has sounded the best he has over his entire campaign.

  • Russ
  • Toby

    Fired up, ready to go.

    Obama is hitting his stride just when he needs to. Hillary isn’t done yet, but he’s in the perfect place at the perfect time. If he makes the right move, I’ll be a happy man.

    No PD commentary yet on the Jefferson/Jackson dinner?

    I won’t post the full text of Obama’s speech, but it was quite good (and had Edward’s campaign manager joining in the cheers and chanting)

    A little less than one year from today, you will go into the voting booth, and you will select the President of the United States of America.
    Now, here’s the good news — the name George W. Bush will not be on the ballot. The name of my cousin Dick Cheney will not be on the ballot. (We’ve been trying to hide that for a long time. Everybody has a black sheep in the family.) The era of Scooter Libby justice, and Brownie incompetence, and Karl Rove politics will finally be over.
    But the question you’re going to have to ask yourself when you caucus in January and you vote in November is, “What’s next for America?”
    We are in a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. The planet is in peril. The dream that so many generations fought for feels as if it’s slowly slipping away. We are working harder for less. We’ve never paid more for health care or for college. It’s harder to save, and it’s harder to retire. And most of all, we’ve lost faith that our leaders can or will do anything about it.
    We were promised compassionate conservatism, and all we got was Katrina and wiretaps. We were promised a uniter, and we got a President who could not even lead the half of the country that voted for him. We were promised a more ethical and more efficient government, and instead we have a town called Washington that is more corrupt and more wasteful than it was before. And the only mission that was ever accomplished is to use fear and falsehood to take this country to a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged.
    It is because of these failures that America is listening, intently, to what we say here today — not just Democrats, but Republicans and Independents who’ve lost trust in their government but want to believe again.

    -Barack Obama, Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2007