Earlier this week, it seemed Rick Perry was going to put the Ponzi scheme away forever. But have no fear, America: it’s back in Perry’s repertoire.
After taking a hammering from Mitt Romney and his rivals for using the metaphor to describe Social Security, Perry dialed things back a bit in a USA Today op-ed. The words “Ponzi scheme” didn’t appear, and Perry focused his attention on promising the retired and retiring that he’s not out to touch their entitlement. (The rest of us are not so lucky, however. Perry has talked about raising the retirement age to as high as 70 for workers 45 years old and younger, and/or scrapping the current system entirely in favor of state-run retirement schemes.)
Polls show the Ponzi stuff could be hurting Perry’s perceived electability among Republicans and it seems to turn-off independents. So it might make sense if he left the rhetoric on the cutting room floor.
Not happening. Here’s Perry in Iowa on Friday, both using “Ponzi Scheme” again and claiming his plan for Social Security is just part of the same discussion of entitlements started by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his Medicare-eliminating (in favor of a vouchers) Republican budget plan:
But our young workers in particular, know that they’re going to have some options. Is it a private type of an option, do they want to allow the government to run the program? That should be their call. But we are and we will fix this program. I talked to Paul Ryan today, I told him, I said I thank you, for having the courage to stand up and talking about this and I said I’m proud to join you in this discussion with America. For clearly calling the social security program, that we have in place today, broken. It is broken. Kids know that paying into something that’s not going to be there into the future is called a Ponzi scheme.
Watch the video, clipped by American Bridge, the Democratic-leaning tracking outfit:
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
No doubt about it. Gov Perry would run Social Security as a Ponzi scheme...he is so familiar with how they work. However, Democrats have run Social Security as a legal life time annuity program.for decades and decades...even Bush I promised it would be there when it was our time to benefit. Perry thinks like a crook...it is that simple.
here's a better-than-perry plan to save Soc.Sec. - raise retirement age to 75 or 80. raise premiums for all, espec. the rich. and politicians get an extra tax to pay because they are such frauds and fools.
that way most people will die before they collect a penny. Soc Sec is saved, QED. good plan?
better than teaparty beating around the bush. forget christianity, guys, it's the survival of the fittest and the poor,weak, sick can just go out in the woods and relieve us of the burden of supporting them. in this taxes can be lowered, no tax for millionaires or billionaires since they "create jobs" ! hey hey, LOL
What is up with the Coca Cola backdrop for his garbage? No more Diet Coke for me
hoosierpoet I was wondering the same thing. Is this an official endorsement? If it is, no more Coke for me.
What I find very disturbing about this kind of nonsense is how memes coming from a Perry take so long to die. The other day on a meteorology website a climate change denier was repeating Perry's canard about Galileo being like a climate change skeptic (when in fact the reverse is true -- the climatologists are the Galileos fighting the battle of the new paradigm shift). Now the damage is done. Authoritarian minions do not abandon their loyalty to stupid ideas coming from their masters easily. Faith in nonsense is, after all, their stock in trade, their mark of loyalty, their connection to power. The more nonsensical, the better. Perry is like a Mardi Gras god throwing coins to the masses, and we are fools not to understand why they are so eagerly grabbed up and treasured. Which is fine, whether it's a tattoo or a piercing, or a truly bizarre belief, every complex adaptive system must have its recognition tags, its passwords -- just wish they would not be at the needless expense of the sane continuation of life as we know it. Can't they just imitate his boots or something? I get the braggadocio, but why oh why does it have to be so harmful, so lastingly harmful? Can't they just go back to football?
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