Re: CREDO: Secretary Clinton must oppose Social Security benefit cuts

From:brentbbi@webtv.net To: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2015-10-29 18:23 Subject: Re: CREDO: Secretary Clinton must oppose Social Security benefit cuts

If it is an accurate quote I would strongly advise she make her position clear ASAP. If I am getting emails about the quote from liberals, it is out there and spreading as we speak. Better to set the record straight and if she does, I can be very helpful getting the correct word out, I have a lot of credibility on this and a large audience and will do it once I have something to work with....Brent Sent from my iPad > On Oct 29, 2015, at 4:20 PM, John Podesta <john.podesta@gmail.com> wrote: > > It may be an accurate quote but she is against raising the age and cuts. > >> On Thursday, October 29, 2015, Brent Budowsky <brentbbi@webtv.net> wrote: >> I will hunt down the alleged quote and if the Bernie people are bullshitting I >> will blast Bernie and I will go to the group that sent me the email I forwarded >> to you and insist they retract it or I will blast them too. >> >> In the meantime I am definitely going to publicly propose some increase in >> social security, probably through a COLA-plus, and finance it responsibly >> through some combination of a high frequency trading speculation tax and >> some form of means testing probably extending the social security tax to upper >> incomes....and I am serious seniors are going to be truly pissed when they fully >> realize they will get screwed on the COLA next year when their costs for food >> etc keep rising....a huge issue in states like Florida and with seniors everywhere. >> >> HRC would be very wise to take up this issue, either as I suggest it or with >> a similar formula.... >> >> I wanted to do that column this week, but the debt deal confused the social >> security and medicare issue and this would have been a bad week for that >> column.... >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >>> On Oct 29, 2015, at 4:03 PM, John Podesta <john.podesta@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> This is more Bernie bullshit. She's against raising the retirement age and cuts. >>> >>>> On Thursday, October 29, 2015, Brent Budowsky <brentbbi@webtv.net> wrote: >>>> If Hillary Clinton is seriously considering supporting any cut in social security and/or an increase in the retirement age there may be an argument for voters to cast a protest vote for Bernie in Iowa and New Hampshire. I will soon be writing a column calling for an increase in social security financed by a speculation transaction tax and will directly address HRCS position based on whatever it is when I write the column. Seniors will be livid when they realize they will get no social security cola when their cost of living keeps rising. >>>> >>>> Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. >>>> From: Josh Nelson <jnelson@credoaction.com> >>>> Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2015 3:02 PM >>>> To: Josh Nelson >>>> Subject: CREDO: Secretary Clinton must oppose Social Security benefit cuts >>>> >>>> CREDO Action released the following >>>> statement in response to a >>>> report that Secretary Hillary Clinton did not rule out cuts to Social Security and raising the retirement >>>> age in her remarks at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Wednesday: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> “Democratic primary voters deserve to know exactly where Secretary Clinton stands on Social >>>> Security,” said Murshed Zaheed, CREDO’s deputy political director. >>>> “Sec. Clinton needs to draw a line in the sand and make it clear that she will veto any >>>> bill that cuts Social Security benefits or raises the retirement age.” >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Secretary Clinton’s full remarks on >>>> Social Security at Wednesday’s “politics and eggs” luncheon at Saint Anselm College can be found below: >>>> >>>> >>>> Yes you know, I think there are three parts to what we have to do with social security and the first is we really have to defend social security from >>>> the continuing efforts by some to privatize it, which I have been studying and opposing for a long time because the numbers just don’t work out. And in the Bush administration when I was in the Senate I was one of the leaders in the fight against the Bush >>>> plan to privatize and it is something that I number 1, we’ll focus on: we are not going to privatize social security. Secondly, I am concerned about those people on social security who are most vulnerable in terms of what their monthly payout is. That is primarily >>>> divorced, widowed, single women who either never worked themselves or worked only a little so they have either just their own earnings to depend on or they had a spouse who also was a low wage worker and the first and most important task I think is to make >>>> sure that we get the monthly payment for the poorest social security recipients up. So that would be the first thing I would look at. Thirdly, we do have to consider ways to make sure that the funding of social security does maintain the system. I think we >>>> have a number of options, this would be something that I would look at, I do not favor raising the retirement age. And I don’t favor it because it might be fine for somebody like me, but the vast majority of working people who have worked hard and have had >>>> a difficult, maybe last couple of decades trying to continue to work, it would be very challenging for them. If there were a way to do it that would not penalize or punish laborers and factory workers and long distance truck drivers and people who really are >>>> ready for retirement at a much earlier age, I would consider it. But I have yet to find any recommendation that I would think would be suitable. And I want to look at raising the cap, I think that’s something we should look at how we do it, because I don’t >>>> want it to be an extra burden on middle class families and in some parts of the country, you know, there’s a different level of income that defines middle class. So what do we skip and what level do we start at? And we have to consider that. So those are my >>>> three priorities in looking at social security. >>>> >>>> BACKGROUND >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> CREDO has played a leading role in the fight to stop any cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, >>>> and expand the programs. Here are some highlights of CREDO’s work so far in 2015: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> 200,000 ACTIVISTS TO BOEHNER: NO CUTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS: >>>> In response to House Republicans’ January rule change that stopped the routine reallocation of Social Security payroll tax income from the old-age program to the disability program, more than >>>> 200,000 CREDO >>>> activists signed a rapid response petition telling Speaker Boehner and House Republicans not to use >>>> the rule change to force benefit cuts. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> 175,000 CREDO ACTIVISTS CONDEMN RAND PAUL’S ATTACK ON SOCIAL SECURITY: >>>> When Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said that a majority of people who receive Social Security disability >>>> benefits are “gaming the system,” CREDO activists fought back. More than 175,000 activists >>>> nationwide signed our petition telling Senator Paul to “stop attacking disabled Americans and keep >>>> [his] hands off of Social Security.” >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> 235,000+ ACTIVISTS URGE CONGRESS TO EXPAND SOCIAL SECURITY: >>>> CREDO activists went on offense earlier this year, with >>>> more >>>> than 239,000 signing a petition telling Congress to expand Social Security benefits. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> 185,000+ FIGHT TO STOP REPUBLICANS’ SNEAK ATTACK ON MEDICARE: >>>> In June, more than 188,000 CREDO activists signed a >>>> rapid response >>>> petition urging Democrats in Congress to reject a Republican plan to pay for Trade Adjustment Assistance >>>> with an extension on the sequester on Medicare payments. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> DONATED $84,000+ TO SOCIAL SECURITY WORKS IN MARCH 2015 >>>> As part of its innovative model for funding progressive non-profit organizations, CREDO Mobile donated >>>> $84,292 in March 2015 to Social Security Works, a leading organization in the fight to preserve and expand Social Security. >>>> Learn more about CREDO’s >>>> donations program. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> CREDO Action, >>>> part of >>>> CREDO Mobile, >>>> is a social change network of 3.8 million activists, sending millions of petition signatures and more than 100,000 phone calls to decision-makers each year. CREDO Action members also participate in meetings, protests and other direct actions for progressive >>>> change. >>>> Follow CREDOmobile on Twitter. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Josh Nelson >>>> Communications Director, CREDO Action >>>> >>>> Mobile: 202-550-6175 >>>> Twitter: @josh_nelson & @CREDOmobile >>>> >>>> Connect with your values. >>>> Join America’s progressive phone company. >>>> >>>>