Clinton: Don't let GOP privatize Social Security

Show Caption Hide Caption Hillary Clinton speaks in town hall event at Grinnell College Presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton spoke with students and community members at Grinnell College about the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015.

CORALVILLE, Ia. — Voters should pay attention when Republicans suggest privatizing Social Security and Medicare, because they mean it, Hillary Clinton warned here Tuesday.

“It’s a terrible idea. Talk about giveaways to Wall Street — this would be the biggest giveaway ever,” she said. “…It’s a terrible idea, but it keeps being raised.”

Clinton, who is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, warned that if Republicans capture the White House and retain control of Congress, they could act on the idea. If Social Security was transformed into a system with private accounts, she said, recipients would not be able to plan their retirements as well, because they couldn’t be sure how much their benefits would be.

She noted that President George W. Bush tried to pass such a plan when she was serving as a U.S. senator. She said she and other Democrats blocked it then, but she said the public must stand ready to knock the idea down again.

She added that proposals to turn Medicare over to private management “make no sense at all,” because the government health insurance program for the elderly has much lower administrative costs than private insurance plans have.

Clinton spoke to an estimated 500 people gathered at Coralville’s S.T. Morrison Park. As usual, she focused criticism on Republicans instead of on her Democratic rivals. Unlike at some of her previous appearances, where she’s given lengthy remarks, Clinton spoke for just 10 minutes before taking about an hour’s worth of audience questions. The topics included Israeli security, the plight of refugees and the new nuclear treaty with Iran.

Clinton's Social Security and Medicare comments came in response to a question from Barbara Brown, 73, of North Liberty. Brown said afterward that she was pleased with the candidate’s answer. Brown, who is a retired secretary, agreed with Clinton that Republicans will continue trying to privatize Social Security.

“They will keep pushing for it,” Brown said. “I hope we get enough Democrats to push back.”

Brown said she recognizes that the Republican proposals would offer private investment accounts to younger Americans, not to seniors like her. But she said the idea still could affect older people, because it could diminish the amount of money younger workers are putting into the system.

“I realize it may not affect me today, but it could affect me and my husband as we get older,” said Brown, who has decided to back Clinton in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses.

Tuesday evening, Clinton drew another array of questions before hundreds of students and other voters at Grinnell College.

A woman asked Clinton if she was tough enough to take on Republicans and Democrats standing in the way of change. Clinton alluded to the 11 hours she recently spent in front of a hostile congressional committee grilling her about the 2012 attack on State Department employees in Benghazi, Libya. She repeated her common vow to seek common ground when she can while standing her ground when necessary. Then she said, “People say a lot of things about me, but they don’t call me a quitter.”

The Grinnell crowd asked about a slew of subjects, from Native American issues to transgender rights to criminal-justice reform. The last question of the night came from a young boy who asked Clinton when she decided to run for president. She smiled and cracked wise: “Well, I wanted to be president in 2008, and that didn’t work out,” she said, drawing laughter. “And now I want to be president in 2017, and I hope that does work out better.”

Grinnell College is known as one of Iowa’s most liberal institutions, a place that should be fertile fishing grounds for Clinton rival Bernie Sanders. Several students said after Clinton’s appearance that the Vermont senator has fervent support on campus, but the large crowd showed students were open to Clinton too.

The candidate alluded to the situation in urging students to participate in the election. “Of course, I hope you’ll caucus for me,” she told them. “But if not, I hope you’ll caucus for somebody.”

AT THE EVENT

SETTING: A sunny afternoon at Coralville’s S.T. Morrison Park. The conversation was accompanied at times by enthusiastic quacking of ducks on an adjoining pond. Then an evening event at Grinnell College in a crowded concert hall.

CROWD: The campaign estimated the Coralville crowd at 500, and 875 in Grinnell, including nearly 300 in an overflow room.

REACTION: The audiences mostly listened politely but strongly applauded Clinton stances such as her promises to make college more affordable, to fight for gay rights, to battle climate change and to decrease bias in the criminal-justice system.

WHAT'S NEXT: Clinton is scheduled to participate in a Democratic candidates debate Nov. 14 at Drake University, which will be co-sponsored by The Des Moines Register.