Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has rarely backed away from an issue. In an interview with For Our Grandchildren in the summer of 2007, he said:
"As president, I'll submit a plan to save Social Security and Medicare, and I'll ask Congress to do the same. I'll work on a bipartisan basis to make the hard choices; to protect the retirement security of the American worker, and the growth of the American economy. And if Congress is afraid to make those choices, then they can just let me do it. I'll take the heat. I'll ask Congress to let me submit a comprehensive proposal. I'll prepare it carefully, fairly and honestly. And they can vote yes or no: no amendments; no filibuster; no tricks: no band-aid solutions; no more kicking the can down the road as the problem becomes harder and more expensive to solve; no more hoping that a future generation of leaders will have the courage we lack. If some of their constituents complain, and they will, they can put the blame on me."
*McCain says Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cannot remain "unchecked."
"Promises made to previous and current generations have placed the United States on an unsustainable budget pathway. Unchecked, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare obligations will grow as large as the entire federal budget is now in just a few decades." (Campaign website)
*In an interview with Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday, 2/27/05:
WALLACE: What are you hearing from your constituents about Social Security reform? Has the president made his case for personal accounts, both the cost and the risk?
MCCAIN: I think he's made the case. I think my constituents want us to sit down together and stop demagoging the issue. I think that the Democrats owe it to us to stop demagoging and sit down and seriously negotiate.
There's not going to be the same benefits 30 years from now or 20 years from now for working Americans, and we better sit down and work together and come to an agreement.
WALLACE: Now, there are some reports today that congressional Republicans who were home for the recess now, having heard from their constituents, feel that the president may have to scale back on his Social Security reforms. Are we at that point?
MCCAIN: Well, I hope not. I think the president has indicated that he would be flexible. But the fundamental issue of personal savings account - look, that renowned conservative country Sweden has a personal savings account. So does Chile.
Look, this is a way - this is what our grandfathers would have advised us to do, try to take some of our money and invest it ourselves, not in something like Enron but in, like we do with federal employees and members of Congress, in one of five different groups.
It's a good thing to do. Interest compounds. And I think it's an important thing that we should continue to support.
