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The Spectacle Blog
The number-one topic at tonight’s CNN Republican debate is expected to be Social Security, after Mitt Romney and Rick Perry have been attacking each other’s stance on the program over the days since the last debate. Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty have also got in on the act, both whacking Perry and defending Social Security.
Granted, Social Security has always been a controversial subject. It’s not surprising that Perry has gained a lot of attention, both favorable and skeptical, for calling it a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie.” It’s obvious why both Romney and Perry would consider it to their advantage to go back and forth over Social Security.
But look, Social Security just isn’t the most pressing item in the agenda. The actuarial problems with Social Security have been obvious since the Greenspan Commission wrapped up its business. Neither the Obama presidency or the recession has done much to alter the terms of the debate on Social Security.
Health care, financial regulation, stimulus spending, and a number of other issues, however, have all taken on heightened importance in the Obama era. Obamacare is a far more greater entitlement problem than Social Security. Furthermore, Romney has never been effectively challenged on how he would reform Obamacare given his own track record on health care. None of the candidates have talked much about the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill, which could prove to be as harmful as Obamacare in the long run. And as Obama unveils the actual legislation for another $450 billion in stimulus spending this morning, you would think that Romney, Perry, et al. would feel obligated to sketch out what they would do differently, or at least make the case that Obama’s doing something wrong.
That’s all without mentioning that Obama is overseeing what certainly seems to be an illegal military campaign in Libya, along with fighting a war in Afghanistan and ending another war in Iraq. Romney’s thoughts on fighting another war in an “Arab Spring” country, for example, are far more consequential than whether or not he’d describe Social Security as a Ponzi scheme. Yet the Republican hopefuls have only gestured at foreign policy goals, principles, etc., and they really haven’t been asked to elaborate.
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More Blog Posts by Joseph Lawler
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/09/12/why-is-social-security-the-big
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Paul McGrath| 9.12.11 @ 12:29PM
You're absolutely right. There are at least a dozen winning political issues for the Republicans to use against Obama. Social security is not one of them. Which is why you can be sure that Blitzer will spend an inordinate amount of time on it.
Clint | 9.12.11 @ 12:34PM
Dr.Ron Paul Issues Pre-Debate Statement.
Dr.Ron Paul,
"With jobs so hard to come by for many Americans, you would think a private company deciding to create more than 1,000 jobs would be cheered by Republicans and Democrats alike," Dr. Paul wrote on his campaign web site. "But President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board is doing everything it can to stop Boeing from opening a new plant in North Charleston."
NotPropagandized| 9.12.11 @ 2:06PM
Call it what you like, a PonziScheme or a Ponzi-likeScheme, but the truth is the truth. USCongress has raided the "lock-box" with impunity and the citizens investment in their retirement has simply been stolen, or should we say "taken".
Are we to capitulate the argument and simply accept SocSec as a "new" retirement system where contributions are irrelevant and the "promise" of the USGovt, fast approaching bankruptcy, are sufficient to retain our confidence in future payment?
Nay, nay. Just like RickPerry said, "it's not right, it's a Big Lie".
Casey Abell| 9.12.11 @ 2:31PM
Joe, your guy made it a big issue. What is everybody supposed to do? Pretend Perry didn't mention Social Security in the debate?
You start tossing bombs, they're gonna explode. So don't complain about the noise.
Chuck| 9.12.11 @ 4:22PM
Stupid question...the wedge issue to hammer Republicans specifically Perry the front runner not only from Democrats but establishment pro-abortion Republicans who want to neutralize the Tea party and nominate pro-abortion Romney.
Simon Templar| 9.12.11 @ 5:59PM
Because we (the GOP) are stupid and fall into the same traps over and over.
People are now running around with there heads off like chickens because we continue to fail to communicate the essential truths about the political and economic reality and allow the opposition to control the narrative.
Most Americans do not even know that Obamacare has slated Medicare to collaspe and is going to appropriate 500 billion dollars from the program to pay for Obamacare. We can not even communicate this. What does Paul Ryan do? He ignores Obamacare and the democrats attempt to nationalize health care and get rid of medicare and starts focusing on 'fixing' medicare.
The dems say, thank you, idiots, and start running TV ads of republicans pushing grandma over the cliff.
Simon Templar| 9.12.11 @ 6:08PM
To make matters even worse, the GOP agrees to participate in debates that are sponsored and run by the opposition that contructs the questions, controls the narrative, and turns them into media circuses of dancing elephants tearing each other apart. That is why this is an issue and an issue that is being used against us.