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Why Senior Voters Should Vote Against McCain

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 01:15:00 PM EST
Tags: John McCain, Florida '08 (all tags)
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Bump and Update: I wrote the post below on Wednesday but am bumping it as Sen. Barack Obama has now released a new ad attacking McCain's proposed Medicare funding cuts.

Steve Benen at Washington Monthly has more. I think this could be key to the Florida vote. Steve writes that Obama made the argument in Virginia today, and notes back in June, Jonathan Chait wrote that cutting Medicare in a election year is political suicide. Here's the voice-over text of Obama's new ad:

"John McCain's health care plan -- first we learned he's going to tax health care benefits to pay for part of it. Now the Wall Street Journal reports John McCain would pay for the rest of his health care plan 'with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid.' $882 billion from Medicare alone. Requiring cuts in benefits, eligibility, or both. John McCain, taxing health benefits, cutting Medicare. We can't afford John McCain."

More...

Original Post: 10/15/08

Why Senior Voters Should Vote Against McCain

The Democratic National Committee is airing a new ad (video here)against John McCain in Florida. On its website, McCain v. Florida, there's a section devoted to social security:

  • According to the Social Security Administration's 2007 figures, 3,476,594 Florida residents relied on Social Security Payments and 2,579,434 of these beneficiaries are 65 and older.
  • McCain’s campaign has said that he is considering raising the retirement age and reducing Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]
  • McCain has said he supports President Bush's plan to privatize social security.[St. Petersburg Times, 6/22/08; LA Times, 3/24/08]
  • McCain voted for tax cuts 32 times, mostly for the wealthy, instead of funding Medicare.
  • In 2004, McCain voted against protecting the Social Security Trust Fund.[S.C.R. 95, Vote #33, 3/9/04]

The site also provides McCain's record on other issues of interest to Floridians, like housing, jobs and equal pay, and a wiki-type page called Count the Lies, listing 133 (so far) McCain whoppers.

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    Why Senior Voters Should Vote Against McCain | 28 comments (28 topical)

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    And we must not forget (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by shoephone on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 04:22:55 PM EST
    the latest outrage to seniors that you blogged about a few days ago: the fact that McCain intends to raid Medicare and Medicaid to fund his phony health care plan.

    Why the Obama campaign isn't focusing on this I don't know. I called the Obama campaign yesterday and asked them to make sure he mentions it in tonight's debate.

    And now, two days later, (5.00 / 0) (#22)
    by shoephone on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:52:46 PM EST
    I am pleased the campaign has finally done this. It's so important. I do, however, wish that Obama had mentioned this in Wednesday's debate because I think it would have flipped McCain's rehearsed performance on its head.

    Better late than never, I guess, especially since it's still almost three weeks until election day -- more than enough time for Obama to hammer away at the McCain Medicare cuts but not enough time for the McCain campaign to successfully fight the charges off.

    Parent

    Senior Dems Beware (1.00 / 8) (#6)
    by dhagan on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 05:01:10 PM EST
    Definitions of Socialism on the Web by A REGISTERED DEMOCRAT

    An economic system in which the basic means of production are primarily owned and controlled collectively, usually by government taxes under some system ...An "economic, social and political doctrine which expresses the struggle for the equal distribution of wealth by eventually eliminating private property ownersahip and business class. ...

    Hey Obama supporters you are walking the plank with a blind folder on.

    I'M A DEMOCRAT RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN AWAY FROM OBAMA FOR THE GOOD OF AMERICA !

    MICHIGAN VOTER  NOT  VOTING FOR BARRACK HUSSIEN OBAMA

    Brain-dead troll (5.00 / 3) (#9)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 05:45:24 PM EST
    can't even spell the "H" word he's so terrified of correctly.

    There used to be a better class of trolls around here. Place is going to h*** in a handbasket, IMHO.

    Parent

    I like that he expects us to (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by WillBFair on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 07:04:04 PM EST
    believe he's a democrat terrified of socialism, and thinking that's what Obama will create. Please. It must have escaped his notice that the Clintons made the party fiscally responsible sixteen years ago. Another dingbat on the loose.

    Parent
    Hardcore Socialism.... (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 01:42:25 PM EST
    scares me, but anybody who thinks Obama will bring about hardcore socialism is seriously drunk on the kool-aid.  It's nowhere near his agenda.

    Parent
    Hardcore socialism... (none / 0) (#23)
    by coigue on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 06:54:01 PM EST
    you mean like in France?

    Parent
    And the GOP is bailing out the banks (none / 0) (#19)
    by coigue on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 01:42:42 PM EST
    now.

    Parent
    LOL. Patriotgames gave him a "5" (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by coigue on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 01:41:34 PM EST


    Parent
    LOL (5.00 / 0) (#16)
    by coigue on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 01:40:53 PM EST
    subtle

    Parent
    I feel enlightment (5.00 / 0) (#21)
    by samtaylor2 on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:00:53 PM EST
    It is your insightful comments on socialism that have lead me to realize the error of my ways.  However, it is the fact that your are a Democrat that ultimately leads me to trust your wise words.  Only through electing John McCain can we do was is BEST FOR AMERICA (In caps).  

    Parent
    Maybe he's changed his ways . . . (none / 0) (#2)
    by nycstray on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 04:30:18 PM EST
    since those dates. They are all pre-Hillary  ;)

    McCain called the whole pay-as-you-go structure of (none / 0) (#3)
    by Don in Seattle on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 04:40:56 PM EST
    Social Security an "disgrace":
    Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed.
    Of course, the pay-as-you-go structure is intrinsic to Social Security. Social Security has always worked this way. And the only possible ways to "fix" this "disgrace" would be for:

    • the benefits of present-day ret