2014 Maine Governor's race: on Social Security


Paul LePage: Keep our promise; don't tax Social Security

Governor LePage agrees with Senator Angus King on the issue of not taxing Social Security benefits in Maine. Then-Governor King vetoed and stopped Michael Michaud's efforts to tax Social Security benefits. [Following is] Governor Paul LePage's personal message about his efforts to preserve and protect Social Security:

"We all have family and friends who count on Social Security. I do not believe that Social Security is anything but a promise that we must keep. That's why I will always preserve and protect the Social Security system.

"While I work to protect Social Security and pensions, politicians knowingly and deliberately falsify information to get your vote. One of those is 30-year politician Michael Michaud. This is the same Michael Michaud who voted to cut Medicare by $716 billion. And the same Michael Michaud who voted to tax your Social Security. Luckily for all of us, Gov. King vetoed it and stopped it. I strongly agree. I will never allow politicians to tax Social Security."

Source: 2014 Maine Gubernatorial campaign website, LePage2014.com Jul 9, 2014

Mike Michaud: Soc. Sec. & Medicare secure retirement; they're not welfare

LePage lumped Social Security and Medicare into the definition of welfare: "It doesn't matter what liberals call these payments, it is welfare, pure and simple," LePage said. "Liberals from the White House all the way down to Democratic leadership in Augusta believe that redistribution of wealth--taking money from hard-working taxpayers and giving it to a growing number of welfare recipients--is personal income. It's not. It's just more welfare expansion."

Rep. Mike Michaud, LePage's Democratic opponent in this year's race for governor, called LePage's comments "an insult to Maine seniors." Michaud said, "These two programs have helped to provide a secure retirement to thousands upon thousands of hard-working men and women who have earned them one paycheck at a time. They deserve much better than to have their monthly Social Security checks called 'welfare handouts.' The governor should be embarrassed that he ever suggested such a thing."

Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race Jun 26, 2014

Paul LePage: Medicare and Social Security are really just welfare

Gov. Paul LePage has long cast a wide net for programs that he says fit the definition of welfare. In a media release written as an alternative take on new personal-income data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, he lumped Social Security and Medicare into that definition.

"It doesn't matter what liberals call these payments, it is welfare, pure and simple," LePage said in the statement. "Liberals from the White House all the way down to Democratic leadership in Augusta believe that redistribution of wealth--taking money from hard-working taxpayers and giving it to a growing number of welfare recipients--is personal income. It's not. It's just more welfare expansion. Democrats can obfuscate the numbers any way they want. The fact is that we have created thousands of jobs, more Mainers are working, and their income is going up."

Rep. Mike Michaud, LePage's Democratic opponent in this year's race for governor, called LePage's comments "an insult to Maine seniors."

Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race Jun 26, 2014

Eliot Cutler: Support & strengthen the foundations for Social Security

Q: Do you support maintaining and strengthening Social Security, Medicare and MaineCare (Medicaid)?

A: I absolutely support maintaining and strengthening the foundations for Social Security, Medicare, and MaineCare. I believe we should expand the access to MaineCare afforded by the ACA.

Source: AFL-CIO Questionnaire on 2014 Maine Gubernatorial race Oct 16, 2013

  • The above quotations are from 2014 Maine Gubernatorial debates and race coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Social Security.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Paul LePage on Social Security.
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Michaud on Social Security.
Candidates and political leaders on Social Security:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Dec 06, 2018