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Despite this consistently happening, I doubt you can name a single Republican politician who has run and been elected on this platform.
by rriepe 7y ago
Despite this consistently happening, I doubt you can name a single Republican politician who has run and been elected on this platform.
- dlp211 7y agoThis is a classic example of actions vs words. I don't care what Republicans campaign on, I care what they do once they are elected, and they have gone after these programs more than once.
- dragonwriter 7y ago> I doubt you can name a single Republican politician who has run and been elected on this platform. A whole lot of Republican politicians since around 2000 (including George W. Bush) have run for and been elected to federal office on an overt platform of dismantling both the revenue and benefit payment sides of Social Security. Sure, the soundbite has been “saving social security”, but the concrete policy of dismantling that lies behind the soundbite hasn't been secret, it's been explicit and public, widely covered, and defended by candidates on debates, etc. The people voting for them either support it, don't think it's an important issue, or aren't paying any attention. They might be duped on what they'll get out of it, but the substance of the policy hasn't been concealed.
- refurb 7y agoAre you talking about the same George W Bush who lead the expansion of Medicare to include Medicare Part D? That one?
- mturmon 7y agoMedicare Part D is one thing GWB did, and that solution was acceptable to pharma. Another thing GWB did is proposing partial privatization of Social Security. As linked nearby: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_debate_in_the_United_States#George_W._Bush's_privatization_proposal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_debate_in_the_... From a certain PoV, these are not contradictory, because there were profits to be made in both cases.
- nitwit005 7y agoGeorge W Bush pushed through Medicare Part D, which was essentially an entirely new social program, fist proposed by Bill Clinton. You're right that they do want to undermine these programs (they certainly talk about it), but they've proven consistently happy to toss aside their beliefs and values to win elections.
- hsitz 7y agoYeah, same George Bush. George Bush's effort to privatize social security: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_debate_in_the_United_States#George_W._Bush's_privatization_proposal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_debate_in_the_... RE: Medicare Part D, that's a pretty controversial topic. In the political air of the time, passing something like that was an absolute necessity. Bush/Republicans got it passed in a way that (a) involved big benefits for big pharma (e.g., no ability of government to negotiate drug prices) and (b) failing to pay for it in budget, thus hugely increasing deficits and national debt.
- rriepe 7y agoSo, can you name a single Republican politician or not? I'm still waiting for a name and a winning campaign from this century.
- chipotle_coyote 7y agohttps://lmgtfy.com/?q=republican+politicians+dismantling+social+security&pp=1&s=g https://lmgtfy.com/?q=republican+politicians+dismantling+soc... C'mon, is "Republicans routinely run against entitlement programs" really some crazy controversial assertion you think isn't remotely backed up by reality?
- dlp211 7y agoPaul Ryan.
- dragonwriter 7y ago> So, can you name a single Republican politician or not? I did, though there are more. > I'm still waiting for a name and a winning campaign from this century. Nice moving goalpost, but George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign (where social security privatization was a central theme) still counts.
- mturmon 7y agoRick Perry in 2017: https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/08/29/rick-perry-social-security-a-ponzi-scheme https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/08/29/rick-perry-s... -- comparing Social Security to a Ponzi scheme Newt Gingrich in 2011: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/21/gingrich-unveils-plan-to-change-entitlement-programs/ http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/21/gingrich-unv... -- replace Social Security with private accounts.
- rriepe 7y agoPerry was appointed. Gingrich hasn't served in office in 20 years. He even had a campaign since then without a peep of this.
- mturmon 7y agoThese are both mainstream politicians. Perry was a governor of Texas, a plausible Presidential candidate, and is now DoE Secretary. Gingrich was and is quite active politically. You're arguing in bad faith, and I will not engage any more.