It's a LIE to claim Sec. Clinton intends to cut Social Security benefits

[bigtree]

...this is her platform on Social Security:

Social Security and Medicare

We must preserve, protect, and strengthen these lifelines.

Hillary will:

Fight any effort to privatize or weaken Medicare and Social Security, and expand Social Security for future generations by asking the wealthiest to contribute more.

Reform our health care system to incentivize and reward quality care.

Demand lower prices for prescription drugs for seniors receiving Medicare.

Expand Social Security benefits for widows and those who took time out of the paid workforce to care for a child or sick family member.

“Now, I will also defend Social Security and Medicare from the efforts of the Republicans to privatize both of them. When I was in the Senate, George Bush came up with a privatization plan. Some of you might remember that. It would have been a disaster. And we defeated it. As your president, I will defend it. I will not let anybody think that they can privatize it. But we're going to have to make sure that we shore it up so that it is there not just for those who are currently recipients but for generations to come.”

Hillary Clinton, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Throughout her career, Hillary has spoken out for seniors and stood up for Medicare and Social Security, and she is committed to preserving, protecting and strengthening these lifelines for today's seniors and for future generations. Seniors have paid into these programs for a lifetime, and they've earned those benefits when they retire.
Social Security

For 80 years, Social Security has been America at its best. Social Security reflects our shared belief that every American should be able to retire with dignity after decades of hard work. That no American should face poverty because he or she is disabled, or when a loved one dies. That we all have an obligation to each other.

Social Security isn't just a program—it's a promise. As president, Hillary will:

Defend Social Security against Republican attacks. Republicans are using scare tactics about the future and effectiveness of Social Security to push through policies that would jeopardize it. The real threat is Republican attempts to undermine the bedrock of the system. Hillary believes that Social Security must remain what it has always been: a rock-solid benefit that seniors can always count on—not subject to the budget whims of Congress or to the fluctuations of the stock market. She fought Republican efforts to undermine Social Security when she was a senator and throughout her career, and she will fight them as president.

As president, she would:

Fight any attempts to gamble seniors’ retirement security on the stock market through privatization.

Oppose reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments.

Oppose Republican efforts to raise the retirement age—an unfair idea that will particularly hurt the seniors who have worked the hardest throughout their lives.

*Oppose closing the long-term shortfall on the backs of the middle class, whether through benefit cuts or tax increases.*

Expand Social Security for those who need it most and who are treated unfairly by the current system—including women who are widows and those who took significant time out of the paid workforce to take care of their children, aging parents, or ailing family members. Social Security works well, but it should work better.

Hillary will fight to expand Social Security for those who need it most and who are treated unfairly today. For instance:

The poverty rate for widowed women 65 or older is nearly 90 percent higher than for other seniors—in part because when a spouse dies, families can face a steep benefit cut. For a two-earner couple, those benefit cuts can be as much as 50 percent. Hillary believes that we have to change that by reducing how much Social Security benefits drop when a spouse dies, so that the loss of a spouse doesn’t mean financial hardship or falling into poverty.

Millions of women—and men—take time out of the paid workforce to raise a child, take care of an aging parent or look after an ailing family member. Caregiving is hard work that benefits our entire economy. However, when Americans take time off to take care of a relative, that can reduce their Social Security benefits at retirement, since those benefits are calculated based on their top thirty-five years of earnings. No one should face meager Social Security checks because they took on the vital role of caregiver for part of their career. Americans should receive credit toward their Social Security benefits when they are out of the paid workforce because they are acting as caregivers.

Preserve Social Security for decades to come by asking the wealthiest to contribute more. Social Security must continue to guarantee dignity in retirement for future generations. Hillary understands that there is no way to accomplish that goal without asking the highest-income Americans to pay more, including options to tax some of their income above the current Social Security cap, and taxing some of their income not currently taken into account by the Social Security system.


read: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/social-security-and-medicare/

[dsc]

1. sadly lying about Clinton is not only acceptable here

it is expected.

[Squinch]

2. The article that they are all up in arms about specifically quotes her as saying that she has no

intention of cutting benefits. It can't be more clear. She explicitly says she won't do it.

Which means that not one of the "outraged" participants of that ridiculous thread actually read the article that the thread referred to.

This explains a lot.

[Hoyt]

3. They tried that BS with Obama too - - he's going to slash SS, and such.

[NorthCarolina]

6. Obama DID in fact put Chained CPI on the bargaining table.

Perhaps you didn't know that before you posted.

[Hoyt]

12. Didn't pass. Lots of stuff gets "put on the table" during discussions.

He knew what he was doing. Perhaps you didn't get that.

[NorthCarolina]

14. Do you think Bernie would "put [Chained CPI] onthe table"?

You know...just for "negotiation" purposes?

Would Hillary?

[Hoyt]

43. Sanders isn't as smart/crafty as Obama or Clinton.

[AgingAmerican]

27. He tried to cut it

And was stopped

[Hoyt]

44. No he did not. In fact, by reducing the donut hole, he helped retirees a lot.

[cali]

4. That is NOT what is being claimed.

[bigtree]

5. you're funny

...

[uponit7771]

7. This is false on its face

[bigtree]

8. “Hillary Clinton Refuses to Rule Out Any and All Benefit Cuts to Social Security”

...false.

Out of control.

[daleanime]

9. But not to say that....

she's open to the idea. Do we really want to sit back and watch her evolve??

[bigtree]

11. I don't find that line convincing at all

...she's very explicit about expanding coverage and benefits.

Also, she outlines clearly where she'd look to achieve savings and funding for her proposals. Moreover, there's zero in her history to suggest she's going to 'evolve', as you suggest, on this issue where she's been rock-solid for decades.

[stonecutter357]

10. K&R!

[NorthCarolina]

13. Let's look at some of her ACTUAL words on the subject of Social Security shall we?

CLINTON: I am totally committed to making sure Social Security is solvent. You’ve got to begin to reign in the budget, pay as you go, to try to replenish our Social Security Trust Fund. And with all due respect, the last time we had a crisis in Social Security wa 1983. Pres. Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill came up with a commission. That was the best and smartest way, because you’ve got to get Republicans and Democrats together. That’s what I will do. And I will say, #1, don’t cut benefits on current beneficiaries they’re already having a hard enough time. And #2, do not impose additional tax burdens on middle-class families.

http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Hillary_Clinton_Social_Security.htm

OK, so no cuts for "CURRENT" beneficiaries.

"CLINTON: I don’t want to raise taxes on anybody. I’m certainly against one of Senator Obama’s ideas, which is to lift the cap on the payroll tax, because that would impose additional taxes on people who are educators, police officers, firefighters and the like."

http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Hillary_Clinton_Social_Security.htm

And she's against raising the cap, so who knows exactly WHAT her plan is.

Doublespeak?

[bigtree]

16. she hasn't said she's against raising the cap

...and, if she's signaling anything, it's a willingness to look at raising the cap.

Clinton policy page:

Preserve Social Security for decades to come by asking the wealthiest to contribute more. Social Security must continue to guarantee dignity in retirement for future generations. Hillary understands that there is no way to accomplish that goal without asking the highest-income Americans to pay more, including options to tax some of their income above the current Social Security cap, and taxing some of their income not currently taken into account by the Social Security system.

[NorthCarolina]

17. Umm,

I didn't modify HER WORDS in the quite I posted above. She in fact DID previously state that she was against raising the cap.

[bigtree]

20. she objected to Obama's plan on specific grounds

...she's still standing by those qualifications, but they don't appear to stand in the way of raising the cap.

"I want to look at raising the cap. I think that’s something we should look at how we do it, because I don’t want it to be an extra burden on middle-class families and in some parts of the country, there’s a different level of income that defines middle class. So what do we skip and what level do we start at?"

[NorthCarolina]

39. So she was against it before she was for it?

eom

[bigtree]

40. Obama was proposing "putting everything on the table" except privatization

...she was objecting to his specific proposal.


WaPo from 2007:

...Clinton said she was open to asking workers to pay payroll taxes on more of their earnings, but wanted to protect middle-class workers at the same time.

The details of what she is talking about are strikingly similar to something John Edwards outlined during a Democratic debate in Iowa sponsored by the AARP, a proposal Clinton rejected at the time.

Currently, workers are taxed for Social Security purposes on the first $97,500 in earnings. All earnings above that are exempt from payroll taxes. Edwards said he would favor a measure that would require people who earn more than $200,000 annually to pay payroll taxes on any earnings above that level, but exempt that portion between $97,500 and $200,000 -- an innovative idea.

In an interview with the Post recently, Clinton was asked specifically about the Edwards proposal and whether she thought it had merit, perhaps in altered form. She stepped back from that question to say that she did not think the Social Security system is in crisis, would appoint a bipartisan commission as president to make recommendations for a long-term fix, would not talk about specific ideas during the campaign and would resist doing so as president until the commission offered up its proposals.


...she made a point of differentiating herself from rival Barack Obama, who had said earlier this year that everything should be on the table when it comes to dealing with the problem.

"Putting everything on the table is not the right answer," Clinton said, according to an AP account. "Raising the retirement age is not an answer. Cutting benefits is not an answer. We need to get back to the fiscal responsibility that we had in the 1990s, when we weren't draining the Social Security fund any more."

The AP story said that Clinton aides made clear to reporters that she was disagreeing with Obama.

[PoliticAverse]

33. In 2008 she attacked Obama's plans to raise the cap, calling it a tax increase on the middle class.

[4dsc]

30. Hillary will not strengthed Social Security.

The facts are presented and she is failing.

[MineralMan]

15. It's certainly a distortion to do that.

The whole "all's fair in love and campaigning" thing is way overdone. Such vehemence has the drawback of hurting our chances to make progress, IMO.

[mmonk]

18. Anything specific on SSDI?

[merrily]

19. I have no reason to think she may not "evolve" into a position I don't want.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511146482#post4

[bigtree]

21. not much of a discussion point

..."Hillary bad"

[mcar]

22. Just more recycled anti-HRC silliness

The negative memes seem to be on a loop.

[sheshe2]

23. Thanks bigtree.

[Gothmog]

24. Sec. Clinton will not cut social security

[PoliticAverse]

34. Do you consider raising the retirement age a "cut"? n/t

[bigtree]

37. Hillary Clinton is opposed to raising the retirement age

Last edited Sat Feb 6, 2016, 12:18 PM - Edit history (1)

quote

...we do have to consider ways to make sure that the funding of Social Security does maintain the system. I think we have a number of options; this would be something that I would look at, I would not favor raising the retirement age. And I don’t favor it because it might be fine for somebody like me, but the vast majority of working people who have worked hard and have had a difficult, maybe last couple of decades trying to continue to work, it would be very challenging for them.

September 7, 2007

Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., sought to distinguish herself from Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., on the red hot issue of Social Security on Friday while speaking to thousands of senior citizens in Iowa at a forum sponsored by the AARP.

"Putting everything on the table is not the right answer," said Clinton. "Raising the retirement age is not an answer. Cutting benefits is not an answer. We need to get back to the fiscal responsibility that we had in the 1990s, when we weren't draining the Social Security fund anymore."

Clinton's comments were intended to separate her from Obama who told "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" earlier this year that everything outside of privatization should be "on the table" when it comes to addressing the shortfall that is expected in Social Security when the baby boomers retire.

[PoliticAverse]

38. I asked you, would you consider raising the retirement age a 'cut'? n/t

[hill2016]

25. she only refers

to the middle class.

She could concievably cut SS benefits for the wealthy by adding more bend points

[SidDithers]

26. DU rec...nt

Sid

[FreakinDJ]

28. No - then WHY doesn't she take the pledge

[elias49]

29. I simply don't trust her.

She'll say anything to achieve her lifelong ambition.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

31. intends is not

she must pledge that she will never never cut SS

[KentuckyWoman]

32. This Bernie supporter agrees... pure garbage.

When Bill Clinton left office there were BILLIONS more coming in on Social Security that were going out. Congress used it as a slush fund to give tax breaks to the rich and for government contracts to their big money donors.

Hillary has been out there all along fighting it as a senator and now as a candidate. I have no doubt in my mind she plans to actually make sure social security stays around.

This claim she plans to raise the minimum age to apply is sheer horsefeathers IMHO.

[PoliticAverse]

35. Clinton's comments on Social Security over the years...

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Social_Security.htm

[bkkyosemite]

36. Just recently she has used exact wording that are Bernie's words

Progressive (after she said Moderate), expand Social Security (just in a tweet) enough (at the debate and just in the same tweet) can't she find her own words.

[mopinko]

41. one place hillary has it all over bernie.

imho, bernie's worst idea is scrapping the cap. it would be a fundamental change to the earned nature of the program. teddy kennedy hated the idea, and so do i. it has the appeal of simplicity, but that is about it. (yeah, i know, i would be hard pressed to find even one other person on du to agree, but standing w teddy is good enough for me.)

hillary's best idea is caregiver credits. when people talk about whether bernie is strong on women's issues, the fact that this is not part of his ss plan tells me that he has some holes in his vision. unless i miss something, when bernie says "expand" all he really means is "raise" the benefits.
please correct me if i am wrong.

[Vote2016]

42. I don't think she intends to cut Social Security. I don't think she intends to bomb Pakistan. She

has not ruled out either.

Social Security advocates ask her to rule out cuts to Social Security and she refuses to do that which exacerbates the mistrust:

Nancy Altman, a co-founder of Social Security Works who has 35 years of experience in the field, said that Clinton campaign's statement and the policy descriptions on her website, do not definitively promise not to cut the program.

"What Secretary Clinton has said about Social Security is completely consistent with the Bowles-Simpson plan," Altman said, referring to a Fiscal Commission proposal in 2010 that would have made major cuts to middle-class benefits, even as it marginally lifted those of poor beneficiaries. "From the very beginning, there have been those who have wanted to boost benefits at the low end and cut middle-class benefits -- pushing it in the direction of becoming a kind of welfare program. It is very important that the candidates not only expand benefits but promise not to cut them. Otherwise there could be cuts that undermine what the program is: insurance, where you get a fair benefit for the money paid."
...
The Progressive Campaign Change Committee, a digital advocacy group that claims one million members and has yet to endorse a candidate in the presidential race, was more indignant with the Clinton campaign's statement about its stance on Social Security.

"George W. Bush had no plan to invade Iraq," said Stephanie Taylor, a co-founder of the group, referring to the Clinton campaign's assurance that she had no "plans" to cut benefits. "It is an absolute must for a Democratic nominee who claims to be progressive to say clearly and unequivocally that they will never cut Social Security benefits. Bernie Sanders has made that commitment. Hillary Clinton should make that commitment before the New Hampshire primary so Democrats can focus on expanding benefits."

The PCCC claimed that Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, has taken a firmer stance against cutting Social Security than Clinton had.

:

[Ferd Berfel]

45. Given her history of triangulation , parsing, and 'evolving'

It's dangerous, possibly delusional, to think that she's not doing the same now.

from her web site


Demand lower prices for prescription drugs for seniors receiving Medicare.
"Demand" ... i.e. beg in harsh tones? And what about the rest of the country that pays 5 times what the rest of the world pays? How about forcing the greedy bastards into submission? They sure as HELL won't do it out of their kindness.


Expand Social Security benefits for widows and those who took time out of the paid workforce to care for a child or sick family member.
expanding for widows and sick leave is fine but WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?

It depends on what your definition of the word IS, is. And I don't trust her

[bigtree]

46. that's not a new campaign tactic

...but it lacks a valid point of discussion.

I'll always root for the 'liar,liar' approach to campaigning to fail.

[Ferd Berfel]

47. Ok....it must be pants on fire.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511156039

Really? IF...... She doesn't get it, or.....??

Hillary on Wall street:


You know, we now have power under the Dodd-Frank legislation to break up banks. And I've said I will use that power if they pose a systemic risk.

(snip)
And by the way, President Obama signed that, pushed it through, even though he took donations from Wall Street, because he's a responsible president. So we have a law in place. If the circumstances warrant it, I will certainly use it.

(snip)

“.. if they pose a systemic risk.”

”.. If the circumstances warrant it..”

“.. if they ever try to use their economic power once again..”

(snip)

They do pose a systematic risk right now. The circumstances have warranted it for many years. They have never stopped using the economic power.

Democracy is becoming a commodity and we the everyday people can’t afford even the opening price, much less have our voices heard at the volume that money can buy

(snip)

Bernie does not need to ask "if" Wall Street "poses a systematic risk" or whether Big Banks will "ever try to use their economic power once again..” nor does he wait to see if "circumstances warrant" doing something about it.

[Persondem]

48. Great post. Thank you for taking the time. K & R nt