by Frank James
We reported earlier that Sen. Barack Obama, in his effort to more aggressively take on Sen. Hillary Clinton and to slow down what appears to many to be her growing momentum towards the Democratic presidential nomination, is taking her on over the issue of Social Security.
Obama argues that the retirement program needs fixing in order to save it and that he, as a newcomer to Washington, is not afraid to touch the third rail of American politics, the implication being that Clinton is.
In response, Clinton has a new, very evocative ad that's going up in Iowa and New Hampshire which shows her with senior citizens and that all but says that while she's been working on protecting seniors for years, Obama is a relative Johnny-come-lately. For instance, the ad says:
"When George Bush threatened to privatize social security, Hillary was there fighting every step of the way to stop him."
The ad doesn't mention Obama by name but we know who it's referring to with this line:
"These days, it seems like every candidate on earth is coming here for You.
But which candidate has been there for you all along?"
The ad features black and white photos that give the images higher impact since we're so unused to seeing them anymore except in artbooks.
Black and white photos probably resonate on some deep psychic level with many of the older Iowa voters Clinton is reaching out to since that's the way photos looked in the good old days.
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Comments
Presidential politics...
... party on Garth.
Posted by: Doug Zook | October 29, 2007 5:15 PM
Wasn't it the previous Clinton adminstration that raised taxes on seniors' social security benefits?
Keep up the good fight Hillary
Posted by: Terry | October 29, 2007 5:32 PM
So, what is the issue with Social Security? It's too late to privatize it for the "Boomers". America collected their money and made them a promise. So, keep the promise. If the post "Boomers" really want to privatize Social Security, they have that right, for themselves. They're still going to have to pay off the promise America made when it collected the FICA taxes from people's checks for all these years. It's either that or eat their parents and grandparents.
I say fund it and let's move forward. If we can afford to go around and wage war against every country we don't agree with, we can afford to house, feed, and clothe our senior citizens, who by the way, created all this wealth their children and grandchildren are enjoying.
Posted by: San Miguel | October 29, 2007 5:34 PM
Hillary really identifies with senior citizens, being one herself. She knows what it's like to live on an amount identical to Social Security, right? Yeah, right! It's really humorous to watch a millionaire who has a guaranteed Senate pension that is 20 times the SS pension that she claims to identify with. And she takes pride in blocking action that would have increased SS with private investments. She further "identifies" with needy seniors through the millions she has received for books that someone else wrote. What is it about Washington that breeds so many hypocrites and phonies?
Posted by: M. Flanders | October 29, 2007 5:46 PM
The Swamp reporters don't tell the whole truth, bark bark, or something.....wait a minute, Ill leave that line for RNC Brucie and Lil Janie D.
Posted by: John E | October 29, 2007 6:16 PM
As with most other matters Obama is a Johnny come lately on the Soc. Sec. program and his need to misrepresent Clinton's position on the program. He now sees the nomination as a long shot and as with any desperate politician he will throw whatever dirt he can get his hands on. Where are the politics of hope and the dream to bring every together. Just another run of the mill pol, but with a slicker cover.
Posted by: wallace | October 29, 2007 7:04 PM
just more demagogueing. The politicians are going to ignore the SS problem right up until the money runs out ... and then they will start pointing fingers. In the meantime, we really don't need or can afford providing health insurance for 25 yr old "kids" who make $80.000 a year. We do not need more entitlements with SS about to go broke.
Posted by: K W Smith | October 29, 2007 7:30 PM
Black and white photos resonate with older voters? Cackle, cackle, cackle. Some older voters also think about the photo chemicals that went into the waste stream. Don't remind them of the good old days.
Posted by: GW | October 29, 2007 10:20 PM
Little Impotent John E., let's discuss how the Clintoon administration raised taxes on seniors, the largest tax increase on seniors in history. She fought real hard for them then, didn't she?
Posted by: John D | October 29, 2007 10:24 PM