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President Obama Joins AARP for Tele-Town Health Reform Hall

July 28, 2009

President Obama joined AARP members this afternoon at a Health Reform Tele-Town Hall. The President took questions from the audience, and from a conference call with tens of thousands of AARP members. The AARP recently endorsed President Obama’s plan to close the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare Part D, by securing an agreement from pharmaceutical companies to reduce costs by $80 billion -- making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. An excerpt from the President’s opening remarks is below, but you can watch the full town hall here.

“…But we all know that right now, we've got a problem that threatens Medicare and our entire health care system, and that is the spiraling cost of health care in America today. As costs balloon, so does Medicare's budget. And unless we act, within a decade -- within a decade -- the Medicare trust fund will be in the red.

"Now, I want to be clear: I don't want to do anything that will stop you from getting the care you need -- and I won't. But you know and I know that right now we spend a lot of money in our health care system that doesn't do a thing to improve people's health. And that has to stop. We've got to get a better bang for health care dollar.

"And that's why I want to start by taking a new approach that emphasizes prevention and wellness, so that instead of just spending billions of dollars on costly treatments when people get sick, we're spending some of those dollars on the care they need to stay well: things like mammograms and cancer screenings and immunizations -- common-sense measures that will save us billions of dollars in future medical costs.

"We're also working to computerize medical records, because right now, too many folks wind up taking the same tests over and over and over again because their providers can't access previous results. Or they have to relay their entire medical history -- every medication they've taken, every surgery they've gotten -- every time they see a new provider. Electronic medical records will help to put an end to all that.

"We also want to start rewarding doctors for quality, not just the quantity, of care that they provide. Instead of rewarding them for how many procedures they perform or how many tests they order, we'll bundle payments so providers aren't paid for every treatment they offer with a chronic -- to a patient with a chronic condition like diabetes, but instead are paid for how are they managing that disease overall. And we'll create incentives for physicians to team up and treat a patient better together, because we know that produces better outcomes.

"And we certainly won't cut corners to try to cut costs, because we know that doesn't work. And that's something that we hear from doctors all across the country. For example, we know that when we discharge people from the hospital a day early without any kind of coordinated follow-up care, too often they wind up right back in the hospital a few weeks later. If we had just provided the right care in the first place, we'd save a whole lot of money and a lot of human suffering, as well.

"Finally, we'll eliminate billions in unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies in the Medicare Advantage program --giveaways that boost insurance company profits but don't make you any healthier. And we'll work to close that doughnut hole in Medicare Part D that's costing so many folks so much money. Drug companies, as a consequence of our reform efforts, have already agreed to provide deeply discounted drugs, which will mean thousands of dollars in savings for the millions of seniors paying full price when they can least afford it."

Seniors and Retirees »

$2 Trillion in Retirement Accounts Lost

October 7, 2008

This afternoon, the Associated Press reported that retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion in the last 15 months.

Americans' retirement plans have lost as much as $2 trillion in the past 15 months, Congress' top budget analyst estimated Tuesday. [...]

As Congress investigates the causes and effects of the financial meltdown, the House Education and Labor Committee was hearing from retirement savings and budget analysts on how the housing, credit and other financial troubles have battered pensions and other retirement funds, which are among the most common forms of savings in the United States.

"Unlike Wall Street executives, America's families don't have a golden parachute to fall back on," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the panel chairman. "It's clear that their retirement security may be one of the greatest casualties of this financial crisis."

Yet, John McCain still wants to privatize Social Security.

And while Sarah Palin is in Florida promising that John McCain will "protect' entitlement programs, his economic advisers are telling the press that there will be massive cuts into Medicare and Medicaid. Perhaps she hadn't read in the newspapers her what her campaign wants to do just yet.

Dow Plummets to Lowest Point Since 2004

October 6, 2008

This weekend, campaign advisers to John McCain say they want to "turn the page" on the economic crisis and explore new depths of dishonorable and sleazy campaigning. This morning, the Dow Jones sank below 10,000 points for the first time in four years.

Wall Street joined a “selloff around the world” today, with the Dow Jones dropping more than 400 points and falling to below 10,000 for the first time in four years. As the AP reports, the “markets have come to the sobering realization that the Bush administration’s $700 billion rescue plan won’t work quickly to unfreeze the credit markets, and that many banks are still having difficulty gaining access to cash.”

Think about it -- while untold thousands of Americans lose their life savings or retirement funds because of the greed of Wall Street, John McCain wants to "turn the page" on the financial crisis.

Then again, we've seen this before from John McCain. He knows a thing or two about thousands of Americans losing their life savings.

John McCain: A Risk We Cannot Afford to Take

September 22, 2008

John McCain says he wants to deregulate the healthcare industry just like he and his allies like Phil Gramm did to the banking industry.

GOP Dirty Tricks in Florida

September 18, 2008

A new presidential election cycle, same old, Republican dirty tricks. It appears John McCain's deception infects every part of his campaign. Tampa Tribune:

Staff at the Hillsborough County Democratic Party offices in Tampa have been getting barraged with phone calls from party members who have received what they say are deceptive mailers.

Some of the mailers sought support for Republican presidential candidate John McCain; others simply asked for a donation to the Republican National Committee. Most of the voters who have received them are elderly and registered Democrats, local party officials said.

"I still don't understand their angle," said Michael Steinberg, the county Democratic Party's executive committee chairman. "Frankly, it doesn't really make any sense."

One possibility, he suggested, was "vote caging." By sending the mailings to registered voters in envelopes that can't be forwarded, groups can compile lists of voters who might have moved or are part-time residents. Those lists could then be used to challenge the voters' registration and prevent their absentee ballots from being counted in the general election.

An editorial in the St. Petersburg Times calls the mailings some of the "sleaziest campaign tactics."

It apparently uses incorrect or fraudulent voter identification numbers, and it arrives on official-looking forms titled "voter registration tracking forms.'' One of its devious aims appears to be to build lists to challenge the eligibility of legitimate voters. Such an effort to confuse older voters is contemptible, and McCain should denounce it.

MCCAIN WATCH: SAME-AS-BUSH PLAN TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY

Today John McCain is celebrating the anniversary of the creation of Social Security -- the program that has helped keep retirees, surviving spouses and children and the disabled from poverty for over 70 years -- by reviving Bush's risky scheme to privatize Social Security. McCain has a long record of voting against protecting Social Security, and he recently even called Social Security a "disgrace." As all Americans are struggling economically, McCain wants to gamble with the economic security of those Americans most affected by the failed Bush-McCain economy.

The Bush-McCain Social Security privatization plan would blow a hole in the federal budget and end Social Security as we know it. The Bush-McCain privatization scheme would cost Americans $1 trillion initially -- that's just to transition to private accounts -- and a total of $5 trillion over 20 years. Their plan would endanger guaranteed benefits even as the economy continues to deteriorate, with job losses mounting and the cost of energy spiraling out of control.

Recent double-talk and continuing contortions on Social Security will not help McCain escape his record of supporting privatization. In 2004, McCain claimed that Social Security could not be preserved for younger generations "without privatization." In 2005, McCain campaigned alongside Bush in a failed attempt to sell their risky Social Security privatization scheme, and Americans rejected the Bush-McCain plan for privatization. Now in 2008 McCain's back with more of the same, and he'll get the same answer - no.

McCain has been steadfast in his commitment to privatizing Social Security - and jeopardizing the benefits of those Americans most affected by the failed Bush-McCain economic policies.

MCCAIN, BUSH AND THEIR PLAN TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY

2008: McCain Called Social Security "an Absolute Disgrace." As reported by the Washington Post, McCain said at a town hall in Denver on July 7, 2008, "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." [Washington Post, 7/9/08]

2008: McCain "Totally In Favor" of Bush Privatization Plan. Earlier this year, McCain said "As part of Social Security reform, I believe that private savings accounts are a part of it - along the lines of what President Bush proposed." He pointed out that I campaigned in support of President Bush's proposal and I campaigned with him, and I did town hall meetings with him." [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]

2005: McCain Campaigned for Bush Social Security Plan. "McCain has been especially supportive of his onetime rival, appearing with Bush at three events over the past two days in trying to prod Democrats into negotiations to include private accounts in a plan to revamp Social Security." [Washington Post, 3/23/05]

2005: McCain: "Private Savings Accounts Work." While appearing with President Bush in Tucson, Arizona, McCain said, "Private savings accounts work. They have been proven to work not only in America but all over the world, and we ought to really strongly support it." [Presidential speech in Tucson, Arizona, 3/21/05; Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]

2004: McCain Says Privatization Only Way to Go Forward. Responding to a question of whether "privatizing Social Security be a priority for you going forward?" McCain answered, "Without privatization, I don't see how you can possibly, over time, make sure that young Americans are able to receive Social Security benefits." [C-Span Road to the White House, 11/18/2004]

McCain Supports Replacing Social Security Benefits With Risk-Based Private Savings Accounts. In 2006, McCain voted for the Social Security Reserve Fund. The GOP proposal would shift Social Security's annual surpluses into a reserve account intended to be turned into risky private accounts. In 2005, McCain voted to keep the option open for congress to pass a social security plan that could require deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt. That same year McCain voted against legislation that would prioritize social security solvency over tax cuts for the wealthy. And, in 1998 McCain voted twice to replace Social Security's guaranteed benefits with income from risk-based private investments. [SCR 83, Vote 68, 3/16/06, Failed 46-53, D:0-44, R:46- 8, I:0-1; SCR 18, Vote 49, 3/15/05, Failed 50-50, D:44-0, R:5-50, I:1-0; S.Amdt.144 to SCR 18, Vote 47, 3/15/05, Failed 45-55, D:44-0, R:0-55, I:1-0; Vote No. 56, SCR 86, 4/1/98, motion passed 51-49 (R 49-6, D 2-43); Vote No. 77, SCR 86, 4/1/98, motion passed 50-48 (R 49-5, D 1-43)]

DNC Releases New Web Ad Highlighting the Threat John McCain Poses to Social Security

On the 73rd Anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act--creating a landmark program that has saved millions of Americans from poverty--the Democratic National Committee today released a new web video called "Roosevelt" that highlights the threat John McCain's radical, out of touch agenda poses to the retirement security of millions of Americans. The ad features President Roosevelt's grandson, James Roosevelt Jr., telling John McCain to "keep your hands off our Social Security."

Roosevelt notes that, when President Roosevelt created Social Security, he did so over the objection of a small conservative minority who "believed that government should not have a role in ensuring a retirement with dignity… John McCain agrees with that old way of thinking." Last month, McCain told an audience in Colorado that the way Social Security has operated for 73 years is an "absolute disgrace." He has consistently supported President Bush's reckless plan to privatize Social Security, even touring the country with the President in 2005 to promote the failed Bush plan. McCain even voted to raise the retirement age.

Roosevelt concludes the video by saying "On the 70th anniversary of Social Security, Americans stood together and said no to George Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security. On this anniversary, let's make sure John McCain hears the same message. Tell John McCain to keep his hands off of our Social Security."

The following is a full script:

"It's hard to remember now, but before Social Security, nearly half of America's seniors lived in poverty. After a lifetime of playing by the rules and working hard, there was no guarantee of a secure retirement.

"My grandfather, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a majority of Americans thought that was wrong.

"They believed that lifting our seniors out of poverty is a reflection of our nation's core values.

"That's why my grandfather signed the Social Security act seventy three years ago today. One of the great successes of the 20th Century, today Social Security lifts nearly 13 million seniors and 1.3 million children out of poverty.

"Back in 1935, a small minority did not share those values. They opposed the creation of Social Security because they believed that government should not have a role in ensuring a retirement with dignity or helping seniors stay out of poverty. They said, "You're on your own".

"John McCain agrees with that old way of thinking. Like President Bush, he wants to privatize our Social Security, turning it into a gamble with our futures, and making 8.6 million American seniors vulnerable to poverty. John McCain has even said Social Security is "a disgrace".

"I couldn't disagree more.

"Our Social Security isn't a disgrace; it's a compact, a trust between generations of Americans. It's a reflection of our values.

"On the 70th anniversary of Social Security, Americans stood together and said no to George Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security.

"On this anniversary, let's make sure John McCain hears the same message. Tell John McCain to keep his hands off of our Social Security."

McCain Attack Ad Debunked

August 11, 2008

Brian Deese, an economic adviser to Senator Barack Obama, debunks one of John McCain's numerous negative attack ads filled with distortions. Deese takes viewers through a typical McCain attack ad on taxes and lays out all the facts on the Obama tax plan.

McCain Doesn't Want to Muddy the Election Debate with Policy Details

August 1, 2008

At a time of great uncertainty in the economy, millions of Americans of all ages, working and retired, are worried about their economic future -- before and after they retire. That's why voters want to know more about John McCain's plans for Social Security.

It turns out, they won't get them.

John McCain, whose support for privatization of Social Security is well known, refuses to provide the details of his plan because it would, according to one senior adviser, "politicize the debate."

Consider McCain campaign senior adviser Taylor Griffin’s description of his candidate's plan for fixing Social Security:

"The history of the Social Security debate has taught that too many specifics, especially during a presidential campaign, has polarized the debate," he said of the program that McCain called "an absolute disgrace [that's] got to be fixed."

Will he contrast his plan to that of his opponent? "Sen. McCain believes this is so important that we do not politicize this debate during an election season."

This explains why John McCain's "Jobs for America" economic plan is only thirteen pages and economists widely criticized as thin on the details. It is not that John McCain wants to hide his massive tax cuts for the rich, and massive corporate tax breaks, he just does not want to politicize the debate.

And really, who needs to discuss policy details in a presidential campaign? John McCain doesn't want to cause a distraction from talking about Britney Spears and Paris Hilton -- you know, the things that matter.

A Privatization By Any Other Name

July 14, 2008

The LA Times writes today about how John McCain plans to carry out the privatization policies that Bush attempted at the beginning of his second term -- and how Democrats and others plan to make sure voters know about it, despite his attempts to hide what he really thinks.

It's more than just his private accounts, since all that does is divert where money is currently going (away from retirees, creating a gap in funding the current system). As a result, the other part of his plan is to dramatically cut benefits that future retirees would receive. It's all particularly odd, as the LA Times points out, because he's "endorsing a new reliance on the stock market in the same week that the Dow Jones industrial average dipped to its lowest point in two years."

His response, so far, is to say he's never been for privatization. Too bad he's on YouTube calling for -- you gussed it -- "privatization."

But why?

McCain and his aides say the lack of specificity is intentional -- the result of lessons from 2005, when Bush tried to sell a skeptical public on private accounts.

In fact, according to WisPolitics.com, McCain is now saying that "he almost wishes he had never talked about private accounts." Not that he isn't in favor of them, but just that he wish he hadn't slipped by saying it's his intention if he gets elected.

Straight-talk!