Mike Gallagher does not like to be called out – most especially not for his radical plan to reduce seniors’ Social Security benefits to the poverty level. But that’s what Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson has rightfully called attention to in his latest ad:
Gallagher was so put off by this that this morning he blasted out an angry fundraising email, calling Tom’s ad “vicious and deceitful,” and pledging to “preserve and protect Social Security.”
Except he didn’t deny it.
In fact, Gallagher reiterated his plans to “fix” Social Security, which as we all now know involves simplifying benefit structures into a “flat universal payment to everyone at the poverty line.”
Gallagher’s ideas all come from this guy, an advisor to George W. Bush who pushed to privatize Social Security, said that Social Security should be “sent to the slaughterhouse,” and about whom the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare said “would destroy Social Security and [promote] the President’s private accounts plans to achieve that goal.”
“Mike Gallagher can throw around words like ‘deceitful’ and ‘vicious’ but we’re not hearing the one phrase that would mean the most to Wisconsin seniors: ‘I will not cut benefits or privatize Social Security.’ Since Gallagher has admitted he’s influenced by someone who seniors groups have said ‘would destroy Social Security,’ Wisconsin seniors clearly can’t trust him with preserving or protecting anything except for the corporate special interests backing his campaign,” said Sacha Haworth of the DCCC.
Background:
Gallagher Said His Thoughts On Social Security Were Most Influenced By Andrew Biggs. In A July 9, 2016 candidate forum for the Wisconsin Conservative Coalition, Mike Gallagher said, “A person I would recommend reading who I’m most influenced by and I think has the right answer is this guy Andrew Biggs, and he writes for National Review.” [WI Conservative Coalition Forum, 07/09/16]
Gallagher Said He Supports Andrew Biggs’ Plan To Cut Social Security Benefits. In A July 9, 2016 candidate forum for the Wisconsin Conservative Coalition, Mike Gallagher said, “And he talks about a 2 part payment structure where you simplify the program. It would be like a thrift savings plan where your employer matches your contributions and it’s what people who work for the federal government get to have access to but the rest of us don’t. And the other would be a flat universal payment to everyone at the poverty line to bring the program back to its original limits.” [WI Conservative Coalition Forum, 07/09/16]
Gallagher Said The Biggs’ Social Security Plan Would “Fix The Program.” In a June 2016 appearance on Political Radar, Mike Gallagher stated, “Andrew Biggs is a great guy who writes on this for National Affairs and talks about adjusting to a two-part payment structure where you would have your employer would match your contributions that would actually be at a lower rate than currently collected. So some sort of thing that is analogous to what Federal Government employees have is a “Thrift Saving Plans” and then it would, the other aspect of it would be a flat payment structure tied to the poverty level. And it would actually sort of fix the program over the long term. But again people are too afraid to even have this debate, right?” [Political Radar, via YouTube, 06/16/16]