A Trojan Horse In Clinton’s Pledge To “Enhance” Social Security?

[portlander23]

A Trojan Horse In Clinton’s Pledge To “Enhance” Social Security?
Isaiah J. Poole
Campaign for America's Future

Clinton was asked by CNN’s Dana Bash whether “Senator Sanders’ plan to expand Social Security” was “something that you would support.”

“Well, I fully support Social Security,” Clinton began. “And the most important fight we’re going to have is defending it against continuing Republican efforts to privatize it.”

Case closed? Not quite. Bash pressed on: “Do you want to expand it?”

That yes-or-no question got neither. “I want to enhance the benefits for the poorest recipients of Social Security,” she said, singling out “particularly widowed and single women” who didn’t make a lot of money during their careers. “I will focus on helping those people who need it the most,” she concluded.

What alarmed Social Security activists is that underneath Clinton’s positive language – “fully support,” “enhance” – appears to lie support for policies, including from leading conservatives like Pete Peterson – that would actually undermine Social Security.

Lynn Stuart Parramore wrote in 2012 that she understood why “well-intentioned liberals” end up embracing Social Security policies that would treat the “vulnerable” differently from everyone else. But she warned that these schemes are “a sneak attack on vital programs meant to weaken and eventually destroy them” and “a highly effective political strategy for getting liberals and progressives to act against their own values and interests.”

Chief among her arguments are the point that Social Security benefits are not “handouts to the needy.” They are “benefits that people pay for as they work. They are also smart social insurance programs that spread risk across society in order to protect everyone at rates no private insurance scheme, with its much smaller risk pool, could touch.”

The last thing we need right now is to fear a Trojan horse from a presidential candidate who says she “fully supports” Social Security.

Related:

Why It's Misleading to Swear to Protect the Poor's Social-Security Benefits

[hollysmom]

1. means testing would destroy social security.

the whole basis to keep people from resenting it, is that they get what they pay for back eventually no matter what.
right now I have other income, if you reduce my social security I will go from being well off to being poor. Social security pays my property taxes right now for my 2 bedroom house in a good neighborhood. The other money I livwe on, take away social security and I would have to sell my house.

[HassleCat]

2. I do wonder

I'm not ready to conclude that Clinton has in mind some specific Trojan horse, but I think she prefers to leave SS reform relatively "open," and not commit to specific reforms. That leaves her free to move left or right, as necessary, and she can go along with whatever Congress is willing to approve. This is not "reform" in the way we usually think of it, since there is no guarantee it will make SS better. It's simply doing something to be doing something. This is not a good tactic for dealing with a heavily Republican Congress. It should be, "Here's what needs to be done. Either this, or I veto the whole thing. Make up your minds." The Clinton approach to SS is very dangerous.

[upaloopa]

3. They will never take Hillary's words for anything

but as a negative.
Hillary has studied these problems and has solutions.
The rest say nice sounding words with nothing to support them. Then they attack Hillary because she isn't echoing those words.
Hillary has real thought out ideas and plans. She will take these cheap shots and still win the White House.

[AgingAmerican]

5. She is non committal on almost every issue

Even issues that are no brainers, she claims she needs more info on. You can't be all things to all people if you have solid positions on anything.

[upaloopa]

6. Your Hillary not the one running for President

Hillary studies issues before she takes a position. I know that doesn't fit the sound bite narrative you believe in.
Bernie says the words you want to hear. If he ever wants to develop a plan he would do the same studying Hillary does. Hillary studies first and does her homework.
That is why she is leading. We know who she is.
The Hillary you are running against exits only in your mind. You need a foil when you hear Bernie's empty words I understand.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. Means testing is a big mistake.

Republicans have been pushing means testing for years. They know that if it is ever adopted, the 1% can switch to a new line of attack: "Why should I pay into the system if I will never get benefits?" The 1% will then push to opt out, and the system will either collapse or SS taxes on the rest of us will go up. Their overall strategy is to kill SS, and we should not play into that, wittingly or unwittingly.

[amborin]

8. K&R