A political candidate is defined by his or her position on the issues. Ultimately, a candidate succeeds or fails because the voters embrace or reject his or her views.
Few issues will have a greater financial impact on Americans - and on the legacy of the next president - than the fate of Social Security, Medicare, and other such federal programs. However the next president and the Congress decide to act (or fail to act), generations of American workers and retirees will have to live with the consequences.
Below is the information that For Our Grandchildren collected on each of the major Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. What they've said, failed to say, or how they've contradicted themselves about the future of these programs is a matter of public record. On these pages, you'll find all this information in one place.
View a comparison on the two presumption presidential nominees, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.
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| Joe Biden*
"… private accounts, that only
exacerbates the problem, exacerbates the problem, doesn't help the problem."
Meet the Press, 3/5/05 |
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 | Rudy Giuliani *
"People should be able to
invest their money the way that
they see fit, instead of relying
on federal bureaucrats and the
current system."
S4, YouTube 6/6/07 |
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 | Hillary Clinton *
Opposes any proposal that would
divert resources from Social
Security and into private accounts.
Did not offer a specific proposal
to keep the program solvent.
The State, 4/22/07 |
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 | Mike Huckabee *
Would head off a "Social
Security train wreck" by getting
workers engaged in planning
their own retirement with a
combination of Social Security
and personal accounts.
Des Moines Register, 4/17/07 |
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 | Chris Dodd *
"'The sky is not falling,' Dodd
said, in regards to those who
would rush to reform Social
Security."
Telegraph Herald, 4/2/07 |
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 | Duncan Hunter *
"Says he is considering all
options to reform the program
and prevent impending
insolvency."
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
issues/issues.socialsecurity.html |
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 | John Edwards *
"I oppose diverting payroll taxes
to private accounts but support
offering matching accounts to
workers on top of Social Security."
Project Vote-Smart, 2004 Presidential
National Political Awareness Test |
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 | John McCain
"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."
FOX News Sunday, 2-27-2005 |
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 | Mike Gravel *
Wants to put real money, rather
than borrowed money, in the
Social Security Trust Fund,
investing it properly and identifying
the interests of individual
beneficiaries so they can leave
their surplus funds to their heirs.
- Gravel Campaign website |
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 | Ron Paul *
"… speaks lovingly of the good
old days before things like
Social Security and Medicaid
existed, before the federal
government outlawed drugs
like heroin…."
The Washington Post, 7/9/06 |
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 | Dennis Kucinich *
"I staunchly oppose all efforts to
privatize Social Security, thus
diverting payroll tax dollars into
individual accounts. I am against
raising the retirement age, against
raising the cap on taxable wages,
and against means-testing for
benefits."
- Kucinich Campaign website |
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 | Mitt Romney *
"… praise[s] the notion of
personal accounts for Social
Security recipients…"
New Hampshire Union Leader, 6/7/07 |
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 | Barack Obama
Favors "an equitable mix of
benefit and tax changes" to
extend the solvency of the
program. Is open to lifting the
amount of income that is taxed
for Social Security.
The State, 4/22/07 |
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 | Tom Tancredo *
"Supports allowing younger
workers to divert some Social
Security payroll tax into private
retirement accounts."
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
issues/issues.socialsecurity.html |
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 | Bill Richardson *
Says he supports "universal
pensions" and opposes
privatizing Social Security.
The State, 4/22/07 |
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 | Sam BrownBack *
In 2004, he co-sponsored the
Ryan-Sununu bill to reform
Social Security by allowing for
large personal savings
accounts.
Club for Growth website |
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 | Tommy Thompson *
"He said that 'if the Social
Security system is not
reformed, no benefits will be
available when workers now in
their 20s and 30s begin to
retire.'"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/28/00 |
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 | Fred Thompson *
"...is becoming a leader on the issue through his willingness to openly discuss the problems facing the Social Security and Medicare."
Christian Science Monitor, 10/29/07 |
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