Mark Warner on Social SecurityDemocratic Jr Senator; previously Governor | |
As he's done throughout the campaign, Gillespie repeatedly accused Warner of being a rubber stamp for President Barack Obama's administration and criticized Warner's vote in support of the Affordable Care Act, which Gillespie said is hurting Virginia's economy. "I will not be a blank check for the president; I will be a check and balance on the president," Gillespie said.
Warner called Gillespie "the major cheerleader" for former President George W. Bush's unsuccessful bid to privatize social security, a move he said would be disastrous for Virginia's seniors.
Warner: As chairman of the National Governors Association, I helped formulate a bi-partisan plan to slow the growth of entitlement health care costs, and I'll bring the same approach to Washington. Social Security benefits are the bedrock of retirement for most Americans. It's estimated that without Social Security, more than 50% of seniors would be living in poverty and for two-thirds of the elderly, Social Security provides the majority of their income. I support a bi-partisan commission similar in structure and process to the BRAC commission, which seeks to reduce the influence of politics and special interests and concludes with a simple "up" or "down" vote on its ultimate recommendations, to explore commonsense ideas that will keep the Social Security program secure and solvent.
Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports privatization and other market-based reforms) to 100% (supports keeping federal control over Trust Fund and Social Security system).
About ARA (from their website, www.RetiredAmericans.org):
The Alliance for Retired Americans is a nationwide organization, founded in May 2001, with now over 4.2 million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics, and institutions that shape our lives. The mission of the Alliance for Retired Americans is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security.