Democrats Vow to Protect Social Security

[Judi Lynn]

Democrats Vow to Protect Social Security
Sat Nov 6, 2004 11:12 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats vowed on Saturday to protect the Social Security retirement program from "privatization" by President Bush and his Republican allies, who expanded their congressional majorities in elections this week.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives minority leader, said Democratic lawmakers would work with Bush where they could during his second term, but Social Security was an issue on which they differed with the president.

"Democrats will stand our ground," she declared in the party's weekly radio address.

"The president has proposed privatizing Social Security, which would cut the benefits that provide financial security for millions of seniors and the disabled," Pelosi said. "Democrats have always protected Social Security and we will continue to do so," the California Democrat said.
(snip/...)

~~~~ link ~~~~

[sally343434]

1. Yeah, whatever, nancy. Don't let us keep you from your cocktail party.

[0007]

17. Give me more insight to your snide remark please!

[DELUSIONAL]

2. I'll believe it when I see their ACTIONS

[mazzarro]

4. Ditto That

eom

[nonconformist]

3. They vow to do lots of things. nt

[Occulus]

5. How? With their looks?

:grr:

[Sugarbleus]

6. Nancy Pelosi is my state rep.

I wrote an letter to her three days ago urging her to work like a wild cat for us. I told her I'd support her any way I could. I begged her to be our voice and not let us down.

I am on SSDI, disabled and using *gag*Medicare (it sucks) I told her my plight, but included the fact that there are millions of Dems out here who aren't in her district and they need a voice too. Help us all, and we'll support you/her until the wheels fall off.

We shall see....

[Ernesto]

16. Nancy works for me, too.

In fact she works for all of us. I'm glad she is there & I'm glad that she is the fiesty gal that she is.
To all the cry baby posters around here: Get over it & then get back to work. Life goes on. We have a chimp to oppose!

[MSgt213]

7. They can start by getting everyone's hand out of the fucking pot.

[Blue Gardener]

8. I wish I had faith in that statement

After the events of the past week though, I have my doubts. If the party leaders won't even question the fraud committed in this election, how can I believe anything they say?

[halobeam]

9. why?? you ask???

Because you know better. Because you know they lie. Because you are educated. Because you listen to both sides, read the information and make reasonable deduction. This is why you can't believe anything they say.

you and the rest of us, the 55+ M I L L I O N !!!

[Nay]

10. Oh? Like they protected our VOTE??

[robbedvoter]

11. How dudes? Your power was diebolded - wake up!

[Zorra]

18. Yep - let me repeat that "Wake up!".

[still_one]

12. Just like they protected us from the medicare drug prescription plan

NOT!!!

[Monte Carlo]

13. The Democrats have got to start saying WHY social sec can't be privatized.

You want to know why?

I'll tell you...

In the markets of the world, greater returns on investment goes hand in hand with greater RISK. One without the other is -very- rare.

High returns above and beyond the market growth rate can't be sustained forever, like tensed muscle. Social Security has been designed to go on forever, and therein lies the problem.

[PsychoDad]

14. They will defend Social Security...

With the same vigor they fought with to insure all the votes were counted....

Kiss it good bye.

[Ripley]

15. You mean the way they "counted every vote" in the last 2 elections?

I'm tired of being duped by these assholes.

[Robert Oak]

19. once again they screw up

Most people have no idea why privatization is a problem.

They are clueless.

Do the democrats discuss the details on what the problem is with this?

Never.

Here's a little summary with some of the problems.

http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/socialsecurity/ssbasics/inv_acct.cfm

[Gyre]

20. Why bother?

Let this country stew in it's own juice. I'm ready to hasten the decline by beginning to vote straight repube. Doesn't matter anyways.

Gyre

[study_war_no_more]

23. Indeed but that your here contradicts

that you have given up. Be still and a vision will come to you for the strength to carry on.

[zara]

21. Not 40 Senate dems to succeed in filibuster...

And DeLay will roll us in the house.

[virgdem]

28. The total of Dems in the Senate will be at 44 in January...

4 over the margin to be able to filibuster.

[zara]

32. Like I said...

Not 40 to protect Social Security. Joe Lieberman is a privatizer. Blanche Lincoln? The Nelson boys? How about the North Dakota dems?
The repubs will get 60 votes to cloture for some privatization. I do not believe the dems will stand firm against any privatization. Further, once its through the Senate in moderate form, the conference bill will be further slammed. Will they filibuster the joint bill thereafter? I'm not sure they can use a filibuster at that point, but if you know....

[Strawman]

37. Are those Senators all on the record for privatization?

If they are, and if they break with the Democratic caucus and let this through, that's scary. But I'm skeptical that all of them would vote for cloture on that debate. It will be interesting to see which Democratic Senators are chicken and afraid of being called obstructionists to Bush's agenda. If the sell us out on SS nobody should life a finger for them ever again. They'd better just switch parties at that point.

The Republicans stole the SS trust fund surplus. Working people put that money away for retirement in advance through regressive payroll taxes. Bush and the Republicans gave it away to the wealthy and corporations with tax cuts. If we can't win the fight for Social Security, can we win anything? If we can't hold Democratic Senators accountable for their votes here, what can we hold them accountable for?

As for Pelosi and the House Dems, she can say whatever she wants, they can't do a single damn thing to stop it unfortunately. Just register their opposition in the record and roll call and hope it is a salient issue in '06.

[sadiesworld]

22. How?

By raising the payroll taxes and promising to keep them in a lockbox?

Been there, done that. :eyes:

[dawgman]

24. all twelve of them? How nice.

THe DLC fucked up and we don't have the power to stop much of anything.

[jhain]

25. yeah, right

Help Is On The Way, too.

[peter from vermont]

26. FILIBUSTER S.S. Privitization & Grow a Backbone

I'm VERY glad to see Pelosi said that.
This has to be our #1 issue, and we need to show the country
that we have BACKBONE and we are ready to stand up for what WE
KNOW IS RIGHT.

This kind of disciplined and principled opposition is one of
the key way to find our way out of the dark forest our party
finds itself in.

The others are: 
1. Challenging the right and the red voters on the values
debate. Put our democratic, caring, family-cenetered values up
against the intolerant, line-drawing fundamentalist values of
the EXTREMISTS on their side, and start pulling those
moderate/reasonable red voters back to our side.
2. Building our CORE VISION around economic populism and
economic fairness, while exposing the corporate-toadying,
citizen-damaging policies of republicans (i'm keeping it
clean, and not resorting to name calling, which we also need
to do).
3. Start building forward-looking policies, don't let R's
remain the "change agents" and Ds the defenders of
the "status quo". Get ahead of the curve on issues
like school choice and health care, with bold new policies of
our own.
4. Buying our own newspapers, radio and t.v. networks (why the
f--- hasn't this happened already and getting in these red
voters heads the way Rush and the other hypocrites and
extremists of the right have been doing. 

Peter from Vermont 

[dand]

27. Democrats allowed Republicans to steal the Presidency twice.

How in holy hell can they protect anything? John Kerry folded like a cheap suit. He may have been a hero thirty years ago, but he and the rest of the Democratic politicians are either cowards or they are bought off. Fuck all of them. We need to clean house.

[lovuian]

29. FilaBuster FilaBuster Fillabuster!!!

thats are only weapon now!!!

[rfkrocks]

30. There won't be a democratIC party if they cave on this

this would be reason for a third party-Stand for something or perish

[captain jack]

35. what does a third party matter when it's all rigged.

Perish is not an option either. The take-over of our democracy is something we've never had to deal with and old fashioned ideas like fair third party elections has no place in bushes america. No offense to you intended.

[Enraged_Ape]

31. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

(Wake me when they actually fight back.)

[captain jack]

33. blah blah blah blah blah These people are blind and stupid.

The dems are going to continue playing the same fucking game. After this term it will be eight years that thier ideas DO NOT WORK. These people talk(nancy) as if two elections in a row have not been sabotaged.

[amazona]

34. Go Nancy

We will hold you to that promise.

[Flammable Materials]

36. Like the Democrats could do anything about it.

Just sit back, Dems, and let the Republicans have what they want. Let them destroy this country. After all, Bush has a mandate.

[Rex]

38. Demos will roll over for a belly scratch by their master - Karl Rove

nt

[Straight Shooter]

39. Enronization of Social Security. I hope the elderly stage a REVOLT.

I hope they throw all their mooching kids out on the street. I hope they start living together instead of alone and enjoying some friendship when their families are too busy shopping to even bother to visit. I hope the elderly quit buying presents for their selfish little grandkids who can't even bother to write a "thank you" note.

Shall I go on? No, don't suppose I should.

Don't even get me started on what the disabled should do.

[Piperay]

40. Yeah, sure, you and what army ...

the Democrats can't do squat and even if they could they wouldn't cause they are wimps who never stand up against the regime. :-(