Social Security Give And Take

[Omaha Steve]

http://adspotlight.nationaljournal.com/2008/07/social_security.php

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Going into this election, John McCain might have considered the senior vote a safe play. After all, the 71-year-old GOP senator falls into that age bracket himself, regularly cashes in his retirement checks and leads Barack Obama among voters 65 and older in recent polls.



Click here to watch "John McCain's Social Security Disgrace.": http://www.nationaljournal.com/njonline/as_20080722_5089.php


But a senior advocacy group is aiming to separate the Arizona lawmaker from those voters in light of comments he made a couple weeks ago calling Social Security a "disgrace.” The comments prompted the Alliance For Retired Americans, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, to launch two TV ads in the battleground state of Pennsylvania that call McCain out for shunning Social Security while reaping the benefits.

"Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today," McCain said at a Denver town hall meeting July 7. "And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed." (Click here for a longer video of the speech.) He elaborated a few days later aboard the Straight Talk Express, saying that young people "are paying so much that they are paying into a system that they won't receive benefits from on its present track that it’s on -- that's the point."

Both of the group’s 30-second spots are running in various markets throughout Pennsylvania, including Wilkes-Barre, in order to coincide with McCain's town hall meeting there today. The spots show McCain's comments and get reaction from various seniors. In the first ad (subscription) an announcer asks one woman if she knew that McCain collects Social Security while calling it a "disgrace," to which she responds in a snide tone: "Get out of here. They get everything."

The other spot (subscription) depicts another senior woman who is none too pleased with what the GOP candidate said. As she stands on a porch, she throws up her arms and says in a scolding manner: "I’ve got to say: To keep your retirement happy and sunny, tell John McCain, ‘Keep your mitts off my money.’" She is joined by another woman, and the two point together as if looking directly at McCain: "Keep your mitts off my money!"

FULL story at link.

[sarge43]

1. If Captain Combover thinks Social Security is a disgrace and

it's ripping off the youngin's, why is he collecting it?

Standard Repug hypocrisy.

[monmouth]

2. AARP is having their convention, I think the end of August. I'd

love to see him appear there. Might be interesting.

[Historic NY]

3. The big disgrace is allowing "OUR" money to be used by the...

Congress & POTUS to fund other budget items and then not repay us.
Say no to McSame and lets make Congress start paying back the IOU's.