MAINE SENIOR REPORT
October 2008
An Information
Service of the
Maine Council of
Senior Citizens –
Alliance for Retired
Americans
CANDIDATES FIGHT
FOR
CRUCIAL SENIOR
VOTE
FROM THE DESK OF
JOHN CARR
As this is written
the national
election is moving
into its final
weeks. Obama is
moving steadily
ahead but much could
still happen before
the final vote
Tuesday November 4.
Obama is hugely
ahead of McCain with
the “youth vote” but
McCain still leads
and is struggling to
hold onto his lead
with the “senior
vote”. As we have
outlined in previous
Senior Alerts,
seniors have already
been especially hard
hit by the on-going,
world-wide financial
crisis and there is
no end in sight. The
senior vote could
well make the
difference in who
becomes the next
President of the
United States. That
person and his
policies will
heavily impact the
future of the nation
and of all seniors
for many years to
come.
The record on senior
issues is clear. I
can only urge all
seniors not only to
be sure and vote and
to urge their
friends and family
to vote, but also to
be fully aware of
where the candidates
stand and what they
have done and what
they plan to do
before casting a
vote. There is a
saying, “Talk is
cheap.” As we vote
to forge the future
of the nation, it is
important to go
beyond the talk and
look at the record
look at the votes of
the candidates
before we ourselves
vote.
In Senior
Solidarity,
John Carr
A Race for the
Senior Vote
Now the presidential
election is becoming
a race for the
senior vote.
Seniors represent a
critical voting bloc
in states that
Senator McCain has
to hold onto to win
the election –
including Florida,
Ohio, and Indiana –
and that have been
moving toward
Senator Obama.
Senior citizens are
also crucial in blue
states such as
Wisconsin and
Pennsylvania, where
Obama now has
double-digit leads.
Older Americans have
the highest turnout
rate of any age
group — 69 percent
in the 2004
election. And they
wield clout in tight
contests because a
number of the swing
states, like
Florida, Ohio and
Pennsylvania, have a
lot of older
residents. Older
Americans supported
Democrats Bill
Clinton in 1992 and
1996 and Al Gore in
2000. But by 2004,
seniors favored
President Bush.
Bush Ratings Hit
Bottom
But with the Bush
ratings now in the
sewer, this senior
vote may go
Democratic again.
Bush's influence is
palpable in several
surveys: 84 percent
of Americans say the
country is on the
wrong track. Only 23
percent approve of
the way he's
handling his job,
less than the level
of support for
Richard Nixon before
he resigned in 1974.
In Florida, Obama is
up by an average of
five points – by no
means an
insurmountable lead,
but if McCain loses
Florida many
observers believe,
he loses the
election. In a
direct appeal to the
older generation,
Obama has proposed
eliminating federal
income taxes for
adults over 65
earning less than
$50,000 a year.
In Pennsylvania,
another key state
with a large
population of
seniors, Obama now
enjoys a solid
double-digit lead.
And the fact that
McCain is doubling
down on winning the
support of seniors
is a sign that he’s
waging a battle in
his own backyard.
“If McCain is
fighting to win
seniors, he’s
fighting in an area
he should have
already put away
decisively,” says
Terry Madonna,
director of the
Franklin and
Marshall College
Poll, based in
Lancaster, Pa.
Nothing “In the Bag”
But the senior vote
is by no means “in
the bag” for either
candidate. Older
people, who make up
24 percent of the
electorate, are
“called senior
citizens ... for a
reason,” said Robert
Binstock, a
professor of aging,
health and society
at Case Western
Reserve University.
“They register to
vote. They volunteer
... and they cast
ballots.”
In fact, one of the
reasons the
presidential race is
so competitive this
year is that
Republican John
McCain’s
double-digit lead
with seniors has
helped offset
Democrat Barack
Obama’s popularity
with young voters,
analysts say.
With less than two
months until
Election Day, the
challenge for McCain
will be to hold on
to the senior vote.
He has a 13-point
lead among voters 65
and older in a
Associated Press
poll. For Obama the
task will be to
convince seniors
that he has the
experience.
Hard Times Ahead
The drive
for the senior vote
comes against a
steadily declining
economic picture.
The U.S. has lost
760,000 jobs in the
first nine months of
the year and the
jobless rate was
unchanged at a
five-year high of
6.1 percent in
September. Since the
nation needs to add
150,000 jobs a month
just to keep even
with increased
population, we are
now down more than 2
million jobs this
year.
Congress passed a
$700 billion bank
rescue package this
month to thaw credit
markets frozen by
mounting losses on
mortgage-backed
securities. The plan
will include direct
cash infusions,
government purchases
of preferred stock
in the nation's
biggest banks, and
guarantees on new
debt. But the stock
market, after
suffering a massive
decline, continued
an erratic up/down
pattern into
October.
More than
three-quarters of
Americans say the
U.S. faces a
``serious economic
crisis,'' and most
voters trust Barack
Obama to fix it.
Almost seven of 10
voters identify the
economy as the top
priority for the
presidential
candidates. Of the
77 percent of voters
who foresee a
serious crisis for
the economy, 55
percent favor Obama
for president, while
35 percent side with
McCain.
Expect More Bush
Policies
Obama
leads Republican
presidential nominee
John McCain 50
percent to 41
percent among likely
voters, a
Bloomberg/Los
Angeles Times poll
shows. That's more
than double Obama's
advantage from a
month ago. More than
half of voters in
the poll say they
think McCain will
continue Bush's
policies.
McCain's running
mate, Alaska
Governor Sarah Palin,
doesn't fare as
well. Almost half
the respondents say
Palin is unqualified
to be president. And
voters who say Palin
makes them less
likely to support
McCain outnumber
those who say she
makes them more
likely to back the
Republican.
Democratic vice
presidential nominee
Joe Biden gets more
favorable ratings
from voters, and
three out of four
say the Delaware
senator is qualified
to be president.
But the McCain
desperate
battle-ground state
push to hang onto
the senior vote may
well be in vain as
more and more
seniors become aware
of the McCain votes
and statements on
key senior issues.
Cut Medicare $1.3
Trillion
In the
Wall Street Journal,
the McCain folks
pivot from Herbert
Hoover to Newt
Gingrich. Top
economic advisor
Douglas Holz-Eakin
says that McCain
would cut $1.3
trillion from
Medicare and
Medicaid over the
next decade to keep
McCain's health plan
"budget neutral."
The Obama campaign
seized on the Wall
Street Journal
report that cited
independent analysts
as estimating the
Republican's
policies would cut
1.3 trillion dollars
over 10 years from
Medicare and
Medicaid.
"This plan would be
a disaster. It would
dramatically reduce
the quality of
health care for
older Americans and
the poorest and
sickest of
Americans," said Bob
Graham, a former
Florida senator and
ex-governor.
"This also is a plan
which would undercut
substantially the
fundamental
employer-based
health care system
on which most
Americans rely
today," he said.
Facing 22 Percent
Cuts
Financing Senator
John McCain’s health
plan through $1.3
trillion in cuts to
Medicare and
Medicaid over 10
years would be a 22%
cut in both
programs. The Center
for American
Progress said cuts
of this magnitude
would eliminate the
Medicare
prescription drug
benefit for 10.2
million low-income
seniors. “These
reports pull back
the curtain on the
McCain health care
plan, showing us
that it would be
paid for on the back
of millions of
retirees. This is
terrible news for
our nation’s
seniors, who in this
time of economic
anxiety, are already
struggling to make
ends meet,” said ARA
Executive Director
Edward F. Coyle.
According to the
Associated Press,
the Wall Street
turmoil has left
John McCain
scrambling to
explain why the
fundamentals of the
U.S. economy remain,
in his opinion,
strong. It has also
left him “defending
his support for
privately investing
Social Security
money in the same
markets that had
tanked earlier in
the week.” The
Republican
presidential nominee
says all options
must be considered
to stave off
insolvency for
Social Security, and
top McCain advisers
say that includes
so-called personal
retirement accounts
like those President
Bush pushed in 2005
but abandoned in the
face of Democratic
opposition. “If the
economy’s recent
struggles have
proven anything to
Americans, it is
that ‘personal
retirement accounts’
like the ones
President Bush
attempted and failed
to institute in 2005
are unsafe and
unreliable for our
country’s seniors.
Top Adviser Opposes
Social Security
Americans United for
Change, a group that
the ARA joined in
thwarting President
Bush's efforts to
privatize Social
Security in 2005,
has warned the
nation that Sen.
McCain has hired
Martin Feldstein as
his economic
adviser. Feldstein
is the father of the
misguided proposal
to privatize Social
Security. In 2005,
The San Francisco
Chronicle quoted
Feldstein as saying,
"I've always been
opposed to Social
Security. I think
it's a very
unethical program."
Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer
of the Alliance,
said, "Such quotes
echo John McCain's
recent statements on
Social Security, in
which he called the
system 'an absolute
disgrace.' Many
seniors would have
lost thousands in
the stock market in
recent years if
privatization had
been in effect."
McCain has spent the
campaign season
giving mixed
messages on Social
Security, the
nation’s most
successful social
safety net, but
the record
is clear: He has
supported
privatizing Social
Security.
He’s voted in the
Senate for
privatizing this
crucial retirement
program and he
campaigned alongside
George Bush
Retirees Less Secure
In
public appearances,
McCain has
denied
he would privatize
Social Security—yet
he also expressed
support for the idea
in a
Wall Street Journal
interview earlier
this year.
Privatizing Social
Security would
fundamentally
undermine the
program, removing
guaranteed benefits
for retirees and
people with
disabilities. It
wouldn’t help
protect the
program’s
solvency.Scott
Watts, president of
the Nevada Alliance
for Retired
Americans, said
McCain’s views on
Social Security
would leave retirees
less secure.
Senator McCain
continues to support
President Bush’s
plan to privatize
Social Security.
This would create
Social Security
accounts tied to the
roller coaster of
Wall Street. With
all the turbulence
in the stock market,
and the rising
prices of gas,
groceries and health
care, this is a
gamble few retirees
can afford to take.
Privatization would
hit the next wave of
retirees as well –
those currently in
their mid-to-late
50s – particularly
hard, as the massive
amount of borrowing
needed to create
these private
accounts would drain
the Social Security
Trust Fund and
reduce benefits just
as they approach
retirement.
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Read the Record -
Know the Record
McCain Voted for
Bush’s 2006 Social
Security
Privatization Plan.
In 2006, McCain
voted for the Social
Security Reserve
Fund. The proposal
would shift Social
Security’s annual
surpluses into a
reserve account that
would be converted
into risky private
accounts. [SCR 83,
Vote #68, 3/16/06;
SCR 83, Vote #68,
3/16/06]
In 2000 McCain
Wanted to Divert
Social Security
Money to Private
Accounts.
The
Wall Street Journal
reported
that “[a]
centerpiece of a
McCain presidential
bid in 2000 was a
plan to divert a
portion of Social
Security payroll
taxes to fund
private accounts,
much as President
Bush proposed
unsuccessfully.” The
plan would put
workers’ retirement
money into the risky
market and reduce
the amount of Social
Security payments
they would receive
from the government.
The plan would
undermine the Social
Security system. [Wall
Street Journal,
3/3/08]
McCain STILL
Proposes Privatizing
Social
Security—Despite
What His Website
Says.
McCain told the
Wall Street Journal
he still
backs a system of
private retirement
accounts that he
supported in 2000
and President Bush
pushed
unsuccessfully. The
Journal
reported he
“disowned” details
of a proposal on his
2008 campaign
website that says he
would “supplement”
the existing Social
Security system with
personally managed
accounts. But when
asked about the
position change he
denied it and
promised to change
the website to
reflect his true
position. “I’m
totally in favor of
personal savings
accounts… As part of
Social Security
reform, I believe
that private savings
accounts are a part
of it—along the
lines that
President Bush
proposed,” McCain
told the
Journal.[Wall
Street Journal,
3/3/08;
Campaign Website,
accessed 3/3/08]
McCain Might Raise
the Retirement Age
and Reduce
Cost-of-Living
Adjustments.
“[T]he McCain
campaign says the
candidate intends to
keep Social Security
solvent by reducing
the growth in
benefits over the
coming decades to
match projected
growth in payroll
tax revenues. Among
the options are
extending the
retirement age to 68
and reducing
cost-of-living
adjustments, but the
campaign hasn’t made
any final decisions.
‘You can’t keep
promises made to
retirees,’ said Mr.
Holtz-Eakin,
McCain’s chief
economic aide.” [Wall
Street Journal,
3/3/08]
McCain Supported
Deep Cuts That Put
Social Security
Benefits at Risk.
In 2005, McCain
supported a Social
Security plan that
would require deep
benefit cuts or a
massive increase in
debt. That same
year, McCain voted
against prioritizing
Social Security
solvency over tax
cuts for the
wealthy. [SCR 18,
Vote #49, 3/15/05;
S. Amdt. 144 to SCR
18, Vote #47,
3/15/05]
McCain Voted to Use
Social Security
Money to Pay Off
National Debt.
In 2003, McCain
voted to use Social
Security funds to
pay off federal
debt. [HJR 51, Vote
#201, 5/23/03]
McCain Voted Against
Protecting Social
Security Solvency
with a Strategic
Reserve.
In 2001, McCain
opposed reducing tax
cuts for the wealthy
to create a
strategic reserve
for Social Security.
In the same year,
McCain voted against
a proposal to create
“lockboxes” to
protect Social
Security and
Medicare. [H.R.
1836, Senate RPC,
Vote #145, 5/22/01;
S. Amdt. 29, Vote
#22, 3/13/01]
McCain Voted to
Replace Social
Security with
Risk-Based
Investments.
In 1998, McCain
voted twice to
replace Social
Security’s
guaranteed benefits
with income from
risk-based private
investments. [SCR
86, Vote #56,
4/1/98; SCR 86, Vote
#77, 4/1/98]
McCAIN ATTACKED
MEDICARE
McCain Voted to Cut
Billions from
Medicare.
McCain voted for the
budget
reconciliation bill
that reduced
spending on Medicare
by $6.4 billion by
requiring that
beneficiariespurchase
medical equipment
and cutting payments
to home health care
providers. [S. 1932,
Vote #363, 12/21/05;
Congressional
Quarterly,
12/26/05]
McCain Missed
Critical Vote to
Bargain for Lower
Prescription Drug
Prices for Seniors.
McCain missed a vote
to amend Medicare
Part D so Medicare
could negotiate
lower prices for
prescription drugs,
just like the
Department of
Veterans Affairs
does. Prices for
prescription drugs
under Medicare Part
D are 50 percent
higher than those
for veterans because
the VA can bargain.
[S. 3, Vote #132,
4/18/07;
New York Times,
4/19/07;
Families USA,
1/07]
McCain Voted for
Steep Increases in
Seniors’ Medicare
Premiums.
McCain voted against
protecting seniors
from steep increases
in their Medicare
Part B premiums.
Seniors faced the
premium increase
because Congress
increased Medicare
payments to
physicians but
failed to enact
savings from
Medicare payments to
private health
plans. [S. 1932,
Vote #287, 11/3/05]
McCain Voted to
Raise Medicare
Eligibility Age.
In 1997, McCain
voted to support
provisions that
would increase the
age for Medicare
eligibility from 65
to 67 and impose a
new $5 co-payment
for home health care
visits. [S. 947,
Vote #112, 6/24/97;
S. Amdt. 445, Vote
#115, 6/25/97]
OBAMA WOULD PROTECT
RETIREMENT SECURITY
Barack Obama wants
to strengthen Social
Security and block
attempts to
privatize it. He has
fought against cuts
in Social Security
and Medicare and
worked to lower
prescription drug
prices for seniors.
Obama Says He Will
NOT Cut Benefits or
Raise Retirement
Age.
Obama wrote, “I do
not want to cut
benefi ts or raise
the retirement age.
I believe there are
a number of ways we
can make Social
Security solvent
that do not involve
placing these added
burdens on our
seniors.” (Quad-City
Times,
9/21/07)
Obama Opposed Deep
Cuts to Social
Security Benefits.
Obama opposed a
Social Security plan
that would require
deep benefi t cuts
or a massive
increase in debt.
That same year,
Obama supported
legislation to
prioritize Social
Security solvency
over tax cuts for
the wealthy. (S.C.R.
18, Vote 49,
3/15/05; S.Amdt. 144
to S.C.R. 18, Vote
47, 3/15/05)
Obama Proposes
Raising the Cutoff
on Social Security
Tax to Maintain
Solvency.
“Currently, the
Social Security
payroll tax applies
to only the fi rst
$102,000 a worker
makes. Obama
supports increasing
the maximum amount
of earnings covered
by Social Security”
to keep it solvent
for the future. (Obama
for America)
Obama Opposed Steep
Increases in
Seniors’ Medicare
Premiums.
Obama voted to
protect seniors from
steep increases in
their Medicare Part
B premiums, which
they faced because
Congress increased
Medicare payments to
physicians but
failed to enact
savings from
Medicare payments to
private health
plans. (S. 1932,
Vote 287, 11/3/05)
Obama: Eliminate
Income Taxes for
Seniors Earning Less
Than $50,000;
Seniors Bear Unfair
Tax Burden.
Obama proposes tax
relief for seniors.
He wrote, “My plan
will eliminate
income taxes for
about 7 million
seniors making less
than $50,000 a
year…. Th is tax cut
is needed especially
because since 1993
seniors have been
bearing an unfair
tax burden.” (Quad-City
Times,
9/21/07)
Obama Voted to Allow
Medicare to
Negotiate Lower Drug
Prices for Senior
Citizens.
Obama voted to allow
Medicare to
negotiate with the
drug makers for
lower prices for
senior citizens.
Republicans fi
libustered the bill.
(S. 3, Vote 132,
4/18/07)
BARACK OBAMA: HEALTH
CARE FOR ALL
Barack Obama has a
plan to expand
coverage, lower
costs, improve care
and ensure that no
one could be denied
care because of a
pre-existing
condition or
illness.
HIS PROPOSALS
Time for Affordable
Health Care.
Obama says, “My plan
begins by covering
every American. If
you already have
health insurance,
the only thing that
will change for you
under this plan is
that the amount of
money you will spend
on premiums will be
less.…If you are one
of 45 million
Americans who don’t
have health
insurance, you will
after this plan
becomes law.”
(Newsday, 5/29/07;
Barack Obama speech
in Iowa City, Iowa,
5/29/07)
Obama Says He’ll
Improve Care, Lower
Costs.
Obama’s plans
“include tackling
medical inflation
and spiraling health
care costs,
developing new
mechanisms to extend
portable, affordable
coverage and
reforming health
care delivery so
that it emphasizes
prevention and
efficiency.” (Campaign
website)
Obama Plans to Cover
the Uninsured.
Obama proposes to
make a public health
plan available
nationwide for the
uninsured,
self-employed and
small businesses,
giving them access
to benefits similar
to those available
to members of
Congress. Key
features would be
guaranteed
eligibility;
affordable premiums,
co-pays and
deductibles; and
quality care
standards. (Obama
for America)
HIS RECORD
Obama Supported
Reauthorizing SCHIP
and Providing
Insurance for
Millions of
Uninsured Children.
Obama voted to
reauthorize the
State Children’s
Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) for
five years,
providing an
additional $35.2
billion for the
program. He also
voted for the budget
resolution that
would have
authorized $50
billion to expand
the program as well
as $9.5 billion for
increases in
programs such as No
Child Left Behind,
Pell Grants, the
Individuals with
Disabilities
Education Act and
essential funding
for veterans health
care. (H.R. 976,
Vote 307, 8/2/07;
S.Con.Res. 21, Vote
172, 5/17/07)
Obama Voted to Allow
Importation of
Affordable
Prescriptions Drugs
from Other
Countries.
Obama voted to allow
senior citizens to
import less
expensive
prescription drugs
from other
countries,
specifically Canada.
(S.Amdt. 990 to S.
1082, Vote 150,
5/3/07)
Obama Opposed Giving
Insurance Companies
Authority to
Determine Coverage
and Costs.
Obama voted against
giving insurance
companies authority
to determine health
care coverage and
costs, including the
power to eliminate
consumer protections
that are now
required under
existing state laws,
such as cancer
screenings and
well-child visits.
The bill would have
resulted in higher
premiums for people
who need health care
the most, such as
older workers. (S.
1955, Vote 119,
5/11/06)
Obama Voted Against
Cutting Medicaid
Funding.
Obama voted against
a $14 billion,
five-year funding
cut for Medicaid.
The cuts would have
resulted in more
uninsured and
uncompensated care,
shifting the burden
to
employer-sponsored
health plans. (S.Amdt.
204 to S.Con.Res.
18, Vote 58,
3/17/05)
Obama Expanded
Health Care Coverage
for Low-Income
Families.
When he was a state
senator in Illinois,
Obama’s bill
expanded income
eligibility for
KidCare and
FamilyCare, the
state health
insurance programs
for low-income
families. (Public
Act 93-0063,
6/30/03)
Obama Opposed Steep
Increases in
Seniors’ Medicare
Premiums.
Obama voted to
protect seniors from
steep increases in
Medicare Part B
premiums. Seniors
faced the increase
because Congress
increased Medicare
payments to
physicians but
failed to enact
savings from
Medicare payments to
private health
plans. (S. 1932,
Vote 287, 11/3/05)
Obama Voted to Allow
Medicare to
Negotiate Lower Drug
Prices for Senior
Citizens.
Obama voted to allow
Medicare to
negotiate with drug
makers for lower
prices for senior
citizens.
Republicans
filibustered the
bill. (S. 3, Vote
132, 4/18/07)
******************************************************************
DON'T FORGET!
MONTHLY MEETINGS
EVERY
3RD TUESDAY OF THE
MONTH
9:30 AM 71 State
Street, Augusta (MSEA/SEIU
building)
NEXT MEETING -
Tuesday, Oct 21,
2008
NEW OFFICE ADDRESS:
Maine Council of
Senior
Citizens/ARA/ARA, PO
Box 1591,
Waterville, ME 04903
******************************************************************
Editor
Ed Schlick