Perry back to 'Ponzi scheme,' 'monstrous lie' on Social Security

Rick Perry's spokesman Ray Sullivan told The Wall Street Journal recently that the views in his book "Fed Up!" — such as his description of Social Security as an "illegal Ponzi scheme" — don't necessarily reflect how he feels now.

It was intended "as a review and critique of 50 years of federal excesses, not in any way as a 2012 campaign blueprint or manifesto," Sullivan told the WSJ.


But Perry returned to the "Ponzi scheme" description on the campaign trail in Iowa last night:

"It is a Ponzi scheme for these young people. The idea that they're working and paying into Social Security today, that the current program is going to be there for them, is a lie," Perry said. "It is a monstrous lie on this generation, and we can't do that to them."

Later, in Des Moines, when a reporter asked about the suggestion that his campaign was backing off some positions in the staunch states-rights book, Perry said, "I haven't backed off anything in my book. So read the book again and get it right."

Kay Henderson has more on this:

Another reporter pressed the issue, asking if Perry believes Medicare is “unconstitutional” as well.



“I never said it was unconstitutional,” Perry said. “I look at Medicare just like I look at Social Security. They’re programs that aren’t working and we ought to have a national conversation about it. You know, those that have said I’ve said they’re unconstitutional — I’m going to have them read the book. That’s not what I said.”

In his book, Perry called Social Security something akin to a “bad disease” that was created “at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government.”

The whole episode underscores how difficult "Fed Up!," which strongly favors states' rights and is getting picked over by reporters and opposition researchers alike, will be for Perry to explain on the trail.

Discussions of major changes to Social Security are alarming to seniors, and while there hasn't yet been public polling data on how the "Ponzi scheme" point plays in Florida, there likely will be.

For Perry, saying a version of "that's not what I said" is unlikely to do the trick.

This article tagged under: Rick Perry