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Linda McMahon on Social Security |
Afterward, McMahon told reporters the media are the ones doing the damagoguing of Medicare and Social Security. ''Thanks to all you all folks in the media, you're the ones who primarily do it and bash any suggestions that might be made to improve either Social Security or Medicare,'' she said.
Murphy pounced on McMahon's ''demagoguing'' comment, accusing McMahon of admitting she doesn't want to risk votes by offering up specific ideas to the voters.
Murphy has accused McMahon of wanting to ''sunset'' or phase out Social Security after 10 to 15 years for a review, pointing to taped comments she made to a group of tea party activists earlier this year when she used the word sunset. He has also accused McMahon of supporting proposals to privatize Medicare. McMahon has denied both accusations and repeated that she would not support a budget that cuts funding to either program.
A: Linda understands both programs need to be strengthened because at this point insolvency is imminent for both programs unless they are strengthened. She believes any efforts to strengthen these programs must have broad bipartisan support, and she will not support any efforts to strengthen these programs that does not have broad bipartisan support. She's also opposed to and would not support any efforts to privatize these public programs.
McMahon, of course, is hardly alone among candidates in avoiding committing herself to cutting Medicare, Social Security, or any of the other federal spending programs. There is a reason Medicare and Social Security are known as third-rail issues: touch them, and die. "I don't want to take any benefits away from seniors," she said.