News · Press Release

Speaker Boehner and Iowa Republicans Shared Agenda: Privatizing Social Security

House Speaker John Boehner, who is presiding over the least effective and most dysfunctional Congress ever, is trying to ride to the rescue of Iowa’s struggling Republicans on Sunday and Monday, according to The Hill.

 

Here’s a recap of who he’s coming to bail out: Washington insider David Young enters the final stretch with just $30,000 cash on hand and more than $360,000 in debt, while Rod Blum has already lost one campaign and outsourcing fan Mariannette Miller-Meeks has lost twice. The big problem, though? All three candidates have embraced reckless and irresponsible plans to privatize Social Security and gamble seniors’ retirement on Wall Street.

“John Boehner, Rod Blum, David Young and Mariannette Miller-Meeks all share an agenda that would privatize Social Security and gamble the retirements of Iowans on Wall Street,” said Brandon Lorenz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “No matter where John Boehner may go this weekend, his last-minute rescue attempt will fail because he’s campaigning for candidates who put the special interests and the wealthy first by backing plans to privatize Social Security and put the retirements of Iowans at risk.”

BACKGROUND:

Speaker John Boehner Pledged to Privatize Social Security. In 2006, ThinkProgress reported that Boehner “promised to privatize Social Security,” saying that If he was “in a leadership role come January, we’re going to get serious about this.” [ThinkProgress, 7/31/06]

David Young Defended President George W. Bush’s Efforts to Privatize Social Security:  In May 2014, David Young said, “And, we have to do this in a way where we have leadership, honest leadership at the presidential level. We saw President George W. Bush put his neck out on the line and try to reform and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and what happened, the liberals just lambasted him and made it a political issue.” [Treynor KMNLand Candidate Debate, 5/5/14]

Rod Blum Supported President Bush Privatization of Social Security. In 2002 Rod Blum wrote: “President Bush’s Social Security Commission, chaired by former Democratic Sen. Moynihan, recommends personal retirement accounts that would let workers build up true nest eggs for themselves. […] We should let people choose: the old system with a 1 percent return on your money and you own nothing or a new system with larger retirement checks and a nest-egg you own.” [Telegraph Herald, 9/1/02]

  • Headline: Workers need to have choice for making better investment; Serious trouble: Privatization would give Americans their own retirement account [Telegraph Herald, 9/1/02

Mariannette Miller-Meeks Advocated for Privatizing Social Security.  In 2008,  Miller-Meeks’ website suggested one method of reforming social security saying “A personal account would prevent government sources from accessing that small portion, and therefore, it could grow substantially over time through compounded interest.” [Miller-Meeks Campaign Website, accessed 10/10/08]

Congressman King Supported Privatizing Social Security. In 2002, King supported incremental privatization of Social Security. “I really believe that we can begin to build a nation of millionaires, and the common man can have that opportunity,” he said. [Des Moines Register, 5/12/02]

 





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