Age gap may be trouble for Bush (Social Security)

[RamboLiberal]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=710&ncid=703&e=5&u=/usatoday/20050111/pl_usatoday/agegapmaybetroubleforbush

President Bush (news - web sites) will fight for the signature goal of his second term with the support of age groups that are at odds with those that re-elected him.

In the debate over adding individual investment accounts to Social Security (news - web sites), the president gets the strongest support from the youngest voters. But they make up the age group that is least likely to vote and was least likely to support him in November.

He'll face the most opposition from older voters. They are the most likely to vote and were the most likely to vote for him in 2004.

<snip>

But the older the voter, the stronger the opposition. By 63%-33%, those over 50 call it a "bad idea."

That's one reason some Republicans, including Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, have warned the debate could cost GOP candidates. It could erode the significant gains Republicans scored among older voters last year.

"These older voters who voted 'values' in 2004 hold the potential for a revolt in 2006," Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg says.

[ogradda]

1. it's not important to *

because he's not running again anyway.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Doesn't hurt * - but Repugs in House are scared

and also some Senators running in '06. I'd love to see a voter revolt take back the Congress.

[ogradda]

6. oooo i'd like that too.

man that would be sweet :)

[Warpy]

2. People under 30 always hate social security

They get told from infancy that it won't be there for them and that they'll end up paying in more than they get out and that it's a Ponzi scheme et cetera ad nauseum. I've even seen it on these boards.

What they never get told is that it's insurance, not investment, and that it was always meant to be pay as you go and that they've been robbed every year to the tune of 40% of their premium in order to pad the deficit for spendaholic Congresmen from both parties.

I try to explain it to them as mother in law insurance. You pay a monthly premium so that your mother in law won't be forced to move in with you.

Social security is a guaranteed program for all of us who have been underpaid all our lives. It's all many of us have to count on. It's also far more solvent than any of the rest of that mess we call government.

No wonder the rich want to ger rid of it.

[Princess Turandot]

9. When Pataki tried to cut the NYS discretionary Medicaid budget..

in his first term, I think it was,mostly from nursing home coverage, the Healthworkers union ran ads that just showed the family at dinner, with one of them being elderly and looking quite ill. I don't think it even had a narrative, beyond mentioning that there was no way that they could afford nursing home care for granny.

It was extremely effective.

[Wapsie B]

3. Please dear god in heaven,

let them try to intercourse with SSI. Even if they try it this year, people don't forget something like that. The problem with all this konservative agenda is that pretty soon, enough people start waking up and realize things have gone too far. More layoffs, screw with enough pension plans, and now SSI goings on and you've got a recipe for disaster for repugs.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. duplicity to start a war to kill "ragheads" is one thing, but duplicity

to take away the checks of the old folks isn't going to fly down south, no matter how much he pretends to hate gays and abortion. Once again the asshole steps into quicksand.

[juajen]

7. I don't know why they're worried

If we don't get rid of the evoting machines, they'll just hack the vote. It's just a show to make us think they are really worried. Believe me, unless there is a dramatic change in the way we vote, they're not worried at all.

[Kagemusha]

8. I just read Josh Marshall's post on this, but...

He calls the idea that the US government will default on the bonds held by the Social Security Trust Fund the "Harken Energy option". He thinks that Bush is lying, that no President would default on that debt and treat it as phantom debt that doesn't really need to be repaid, because SS is broken.

And my response: That's exactly what I expect to happen.

You think Bush is kidding? Do you really think that in a situation where a Republican president is faced with a net payment out of general revenues to prop up the US government's legal obligations to the SS "Lock Box" rather than getting a surplus from the suckers paying payroll taxes, that this future Republican president would even blink before defaulting?

The "magic" of Social Security has been that it's been a piggy bank without cost to the federal government. The debate over "reform" isn't because the survival of the government is at stake. It's because unless benefits are reduced by a privatized system, there would be less money available for war and other "proper" pursuits of a federal government. If there is no "reform," then general tax money will be paying into SS rather than excess payroll taxes paying into general tax money, which can be used for war and other "discretionary" spending.

And you really think that Bush is just lying when he says that this is an unsustainable situation - to men like him - to the point that men like him wouldn't shut it down in a heartbeat, for younger workers?

Obviously Bush thinks that no sane President would tolerate this situation and allow a silly social program to take money out of the mouths of defense contractors. So OBVIOUSLY Social Security is broken and must be fixed to prevent such a situation, and any logical Republican would think the same.

And you think it won't happen? Smell the coffee.

[cthrumatrix]

11. the US default on T-bills would have greater "global implications" ... he

can't default on bonds...that would mean all bonds purchased by foreign countries is "worth nothing"...and the entire financial markets would collapse.

[retread]

10. This is like getting into a fight and getting the crap kicked out of you.

You are laying on the ground and the other guy is kicking the crap out of you. You look up with your one good eye and you see his nads hanging right there . If the Democratic party doesn't reach up and grab onto the those nads and yank like hell; they will have betrayed us all.