Clinton says that Dems should have a plan on SS

This type of comment makes me mad. We dont need to promote a plan now for SS. If we do, we are helping Bush.

Clinton should know that better than anybody else. Which Republicans proposed a plan for healthcare when he was trying to create a Healthcare plan?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/06/AR2005050600488.html

Similarly, former President Clinton, who saw his administration's Social Security reform effort stall, urged Democrats to offer their own fix. To date, party leaders have said the program is solvent for the foreseeable future, so they will not discuss changes until Bush drops his private accounts proposal.

"I think the Democrats should say what they are for on Social Security in the next couple weeks; they got time to put together a program," Clinton said in an interview to be broadcast Saturday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I think it should include an opportunity for people to participate in savings and ownership. They don't have to do private accounts because they can't figure out how to borrow the money. ... But I think that the Democrats should have a plan and they should talk to the president and the congressional Republicans about it."

But Big Dawg is starting to piss me off big time. :grr:

helping this administration. Don't know the exact reasons, but I don't trust him anymore. He is very sly about it thought. He says nothing overt, just enough to hurt the Dems.

subtle and i am not remembering exactly what it was, maybe a patting on bush back for war, but it is right before debate i believe, clinton put it out then two days later hillary did

havent trusted them with our party since

Al Frankin was raving on this very fact just the other day.

NGU.

He left out the health plan for political reasons. That's what Bill ought to be pushing for now -- finishing what FDR started, not finishing it off!

1 % maximum tax only on the top $ 2,000 earned. With no disability or survivor's benefits.

You think we should have stuck with that?

and probably $ 2,000 ajusted for inflation is not very different that what the cap is today.

Why you - I outta!! B-)

(Just shows to go ya, it's all about how you frame it.)

NGU.

I also liked this line regarding Democrats:

...."they will not discuss changes until Bush drops his private accounts proposal"

Rock on Big Dawg.. he's not insulting anyone in that article! :headbang:

It is just a comment on Reid's position.

For the rest, there is no crisis, so is it not better to focus on more urgent issues (deficit, healthcare) rather than following Bush's agenda.

It's a trap that they're trying to do with SS. What their plan is? I don't know but don't fall for it! I don't think the democrats will personally. Bush uses Clinton to trap democrats (and for raitings of course). Pelosi answered the question well with SS on a recent briefing and q&a session and basically she tells of their experience with Reagan and there are several ways to fix SS without going private (like raising the cap).

That will solve it--period. Let Bush launch a campaign pitting the affluent against the rest of us.

:-)

We need to lay out a plan that makes sense and actually HELPS Americans. The lack of public support for Smirks original plan of privatization, has forced him to make other claims, like progressive indexing. Its now time to start talking about some ideas of our own.

then why didn't he push one. He had peace and prosperity for eight years. What better time to make the changes he thought were needed.

Roll back all the tax cuts for America's richest people... it would be more than enough to fund SS.

Big NAFTA should just concentrate on the UN job he's angling for.

There are a few fixes that could be enacted if necessary. They have already be presented, so Clinton is wrong to say there are no plan.

What is difficult to understand in these lines "There is no crisis".

There are real crisis that we need to fix NOW.

That Bush is the one who wants the radical changes. So before anyone accuses the Dems of not having any plans, maybe Bush should present a plan that can actually be done.

But he is right we need to be for something. Even if it just strengthens the current system with changes in taxes. You have to advocate something, not just be naysayers. You have to present a solution.

it's called social security.

why not look at the tax rate on the richest americans?

why not develop a plan to get corporations pay their fair share of taxes?

why not revisit nafta and gatt, put americans to work in better paying jobs?

what they're REALLY saying is, "We'll keep saying they don't have a plan until they agree to some form of privatization."

The Dems can put forth a simple plan: raise the cap on FICA assessments from the current level to $200,000, with a stipulation that it be adjusted for inflation every five years.

That would be a plan, and it would be simple enough to put into a sound bite. A little shameless class warfare wouldn't hurt: "Make the fat cats pay the same level of taxes that you pay."

Did we learn NOTHING? There is no problem to solve. If we put forth a proposal we are admitting that The Preznit is right. It is the same pattern over and over. They ask for the sun, moon and stars, the Dems come back with a counter offer and before you know it the repukes are charging by the hour for sunshine.

Because it is you know,
we can convince America the current situation with SS is nothing to worry about. I am not sure I agree, but then I admit to not being anexpert on it. However, the Major News Media will hammer any dem that attempts to put that argument forth, so be ready to take some major hits and have some big guns ready.

They aren't helping themselves by crying wolf. Instead of responding with a counter offer, we just need to make fun of their paranoia. I like the response of the AARP. Don't tear down the house because the sink is stopped up. We need to help them look like idiots for calling a burp a volcano!

...that drastic changes need to be made in the structure of SS. It's part of the Bushie strategy to pressure Dems into conceding that changes need to be made instead of minor tweaks to the existing program.

Clinton is knowingly or unknowingly playing right into their hands.

And people say that Clinton is 'retired' and isn't trying to steer the party's agenda. The fact is that he's still pushing his 'third way' bullshit of negotiating with criminals.

Yer correct, let them keep crying wolf and piss everyone off. For once the dems ain't playing into his hand, and they shouldn't start now..

The only thing I can think of to say is that let's have the government invest the SS Iou's in a real account. CD's are paying 3%...

If Ickes were here he'd probably say that during the recent heart operation Clinton had, they put a bit of the reptile in the big dogs heart. And if I cottoned to Ickes' "Reptilian theory" I'd agree they must have done something to the old boy.

...currently I'm working on another 'The DLC is Satan' piece about their support for Bush's war for political gain and despite knowing it's illegal and immoral.

It seems that Clinton is aware of the LEADERSHIP VOID in the party and feels he needs to step back into the picture to lead us further into obscurity.

The problem is that many Democrats don't understand what 'third way' Clinton is all about. For him and his DLC cronies...it's not about Social Security...it's about how THEY can benefit politically.

Clinton HAS TO know that the bottom line is that the Bushie GOP wants to eventually DESTROY Social Security...not help it survive. Sometimes it looks as if the Third Wayers are helping them accomplish this goal.

'The DLC is Satan' piece about their support for Bush's war for political gain and despite knowing it's illegal and immoral.


Ya know, it could be they see the coming crises, figure there isn't a thing they can do except take personal advantage, and get the last of the pie before someone else does?

Have you read _Dr. Eldricth's_ piece about how the real situation is all about oil and the euro? Given the sidewinders in power, the theroy makes pretty good sense. I'll find the link, if you'd like. Shoot, wait right here, I'll go get it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3608213&mesg_id=3608218

of Congress that Dems have suffered since before the Great Depression? Clinton is not the tactician that he is made out to be, imho.

because the reason the GOP won congress is because they had an alternate plan with healthcare with which to compare with the Clinton plan and say "look whats right with ours and wrong with his". Clinton is right, we DO need a plan. But just because he says something that many GOPers have been saying, doesn't mean the same thing. He truly means a real plan, not privatization. Personally, I think a corporate SS tax would be perfect because the point is to ruin the other party, and this would do so because the GOP would never agree to it in a thousand years, and the Dems could say the not only is the GOP plan bad, but they are just trying to keep the CEOS from paying their fair share.

But, it seems to me that he is just verifying for the GOP true believers what the GOP leadership is saying about Dems.

Does he really think anyone is going to hear the details of the Dem plan through the media filter? Folks might not hear that, but big media is sure going to try to make sure folks hear that Clinton said that Dems "don't have a plan".

Maybe that is a Catch-22. Maybe not.

I wish someone would point that out on the talking head shows...

what did they do to the guy during that heart operation, anyway?

p.s. I was already wondering about the timing (height of the presidential campaign, and #1 Dem goes under the knife)

They can't pass a plan of their own and it would only lead to a compromise at our expense. The GOPers want a flat, fair tax. Let them start with SSI and have everyone pay the same rate on all income.

strategy.
Tha'ts playing DIRECTLY into Bush's hands. the minute we "come up with a plan", we've lost on several levels:

1. we give credence to the false charge that something needs to be fixed.
2. we open the door to compromise on something that should not be compromised
3. we give bush, who has no real plan, ideas that he can reword and both use and use against us.
4. oh, I give up...I really do. If *I*can figure this stuff out better than our supposedly best and brightest strategists, then we dems ARE in deep trouble.

The more * talks about his SS "plans" and the more the dems stand their ground, the worse *'s poll numbers are on this issue (and in general).

Yet Clinton thinks we need to change strategy by coming up with a plan and start negotiating with the rethugs?!?!

In the grand scheme of things, perhaps it is not entirely surprising. :puke: