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

From:john.podesta@gmail.com To: brentbbi@webtv.net Date: 2015-10-29 18:20 Subject: Re: Fw: CREDO: Secretary Clinton must oppose Social Security benefit cuts

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 > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','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 > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','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 >> <http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-backs-use-of-death-penalty-1446062646> >> 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 <http://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_ss_cuts/> >> 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 <http://act.credoaction.com/sign/rand_paul_ssdi/> 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 >> <http://act.credoaction.com/sign/expand_social_security/> 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 >> <http://act.credoaction.com/sign/tpp_medicare> 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. >> >> <https://www.credodonations.com/>CREDO Action <http://credoaction.com/>, >> part of CREDO Mobile <http://credomobile.com/>, 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. >> <http://twitter.com/credomobile> >> >> >> -- >> >> Josh Nelson >> >> Communications Director, CREDO Action >> >> Mobile: 202-550-6175 >> >> Twitter: @josh_nelson <http://twitter.com/josh_nelson> & @CREDOmobile >> <http://twitter.com/CREDOmobile> >> >> Connect with your values. >> >> Join >> <http://www.credomobile.com/lp/friend.aspx?referrer=jn-credo-code&Tchn=EM-manual> America’s >> progressive phone company. >> >> >> >> >>