I'm liking this:
http://wcfcourier.com/...
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley’s campaign team continued their critique on Republican opponent state Sen. Joni Ernst’s stance on safeguarding Social Security by releasing a report on Monday afternoon.
The report, based on one put out by a group that supports protecting the program called Social Security Works, estimates that benefits would decrease if the safety-net program were privatized. The impacts would be dramatic -- up to a 45.9 percent decrease for retirees in 2086 -- further into the future.
Braley for Iowa communications director Jeff Giertz said the campaign released the report to look at “the damaging impact, the devastating impact” a privatization plan would have on Iowans.
“It’s a big program that a lot of people rely on, and a lot of folks want the benefits that they were promised and that they have paid into, and Sen. Ernst’s plan puts those at risk,” Giertz said during a conference call with reporters Monday afternoon.
Ernst, a state senator from Red Oak, states on her campaign website that the program should be “preserved and protected” for seniors today and tomorrow, but she supports reforms that will strengthen Social Security in the long term.
Several media outlets have characterized her stance at debates as proposing that younger generations invest in “personal savings accounts” when she has been asked about the issue. - WCF Courier, 7/1/14
And Braley's not alone in defending Social Security:
http://www.dailyiowan.com/...
Janice Laue, the president of the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, believes privatization to be an untenable risk.
“Social Security is one of America’s most successful social programs; it’s more reliable and safer than trusting our money to Wall Street bankers,” she said.
Laue said she fears that if stocks were to collapse, as they did in 2008, then retirees and other beneficiaries could be out a sizeable chunk of change.
Johnson County is one of the larger counties in Iowa for Social Security benefits. There are 16,015 recipients who received $15,306 in 2012.
According to the study prepared by Social Security Works, a two-path system will decrease benefits received by everyone in the system.
The study said that with a traditional method, there is a 0.9 percent decrease after eight years, while those who opted for private accounts would experience a 0.5 percent decrease in the same time frame.
After another 20 years those with traditional benefits would experience a 18.2 percent decrease, and those with private accounts would see a 15.2 percent decrease, according to the study.
Laue said Iowa lacks benefits, such as pensions and savings, on which many people who receive Social Security rely.
Iowa is a low-wage state, she said, so it can be hard for Iowa residents to build up significant savings, and pensions are becoming less common as compared with 401Ks.
“We’re running into a situation where there is more money coming out of the system than is going in,” said Timothy Hagle, a UI associate professor of political science. - The Daily Iowan, 7/1/14
And Ernst is trying to fight back:
http://wcfcourier.com/...
Ernst, a state senator from Red Oak, said she was trying to preserve the Social Security safety net and said Braley’s proposal would let the program “go broke.”
A statement issued by Ernst's campaign said she believes “we must first and foremost protect the promises made to our seniors, like my own mom and dad, and those middle class parents who are already paying into the system on their own pathway toward retirement.
“But we need real solutions for those young workers about to enter the workforce in order to ensure this safety net is there for future generations that include my own daughter and grandchildren.”
Ernst’s statement did not mention privatization nor “personal savings accounts,” the latter of which she has discussed during primary debates.
Braley’s campaign held a conference call on Monday, outlining a report that anticipates a “devastating impact” if Social Security were privatized.
“Bruce Braley is fighting to save Social Security from Joni Ernst, who would privatize the program, end guaranteed benefits, and put Iowans’ retirement savings in the hands of the Wall Street billionaires supporting her campaign,” Braley for Iowa communications director Jeff Giertz said in a statement.
He accused Ernst of putting her "extreme ideology" ahead of Iowans.
Ernst’s campaign accused Braley, a Waterloo congressman, of trying to “score cheap political points” with empty rhetoric on Social Security, adding that he “should be ashamed” for continued inaction on ensuring the system's solvency. - WCF Courier, 7/1/14
This is who we are up against people. Braley has a great record on Social Security and is an opponent of the chained CPI so we need to remember that come November. Now Ernst is trying to make history as the first female U.S. Senator and while I do support more women being elected to higher office, Ernst's views do not line up with the views of female voters:
http://thinkprogress.org/...
Given this perfect storm, we may be approaching a tipping point in Iowa this fall. With rising stars like Appel, Ernst, Reynolds, and others, Iowa could soon go from never having elected a woman to having multiple women in its delegation at the same time.
This progress is replicating itself nationally as well, as women begin to fill more seats in Congress and take a larger portion of state governments. However, the pace is slow enough that Cynthia Terrell of FairVote estimates it will take 500 years for women to reach parity in representation.
If an Iowa woman is elected in 2014, “the message it would send is so strong,” Clare Bresnahan, Political and Programs Director for the Women’s Campaign Fund, told ThinkProgress. “I think it would show that in places where women haven’t been elected to federal office, people are ready for women’s leadership.”
Though shattering that glass ceiling would be a major progressive victory in Iowa, voters aren’t necessarily prioritizing it over their partisan leanings. Even as women
ThinkProgress spoke with cited the importance of electing the first female to Congress, that doesn’t mean they want just any woman. Recent polls in Iowa’s Senate race have shown Braley leading among women by 11 points, while Ernst leads among men by four points, for instance.
This tension was evident in volunteer Mary Fox as she made calls at Appel’s women-to-women phone bank. “I have been working to see a woman elected in Iowa all of my life,” she said. But when asked whether this desire would push her to support Ernst for Senate, Fox shifted uncomfortably and took a moment before responding. “She doesn’t represent my values. I don’t want her elected.” - Think Progress, 7/1/14
Luckily Democrats are working hard to make sure our base comes out to the polls this November:
http://guardianlv.com/...
The Democratic Party has been making efforts to improve voter turnout for congressional and statewide seats across the U.S. through recent rallies and primary elections. Hot topics which surfaced included wage-increase demands, immigration reform and issues concerning women. Plenty of political debate surfaced between Democrats and Republicans as each side attempted to persuade voters to vote for the ideal candidate. The following reports explain how Democrats persuade voters in such states as Iowa, Texas, Mississippi, and Ohio.
A Fact-Check statement by KCRG.com, a local news station in Iowa, stated an ad sponsored by the Iowa Democratic Party aired on TV, and quoted U.S. Senate and Republican nominee Joni Ernst as saying she is against raising the federal minimum wage. The statement further explains Ernst thinks each state has a different economy and cost-of-living, and therefore, each state should decide whether to raise the minimum wage, or not. Ernst is not for the “abolishment” of the federal minimum wage, but believes it is not a federal issue. The statement suggested Ernst’s words may be misconstrued among Iowa voters on whether she believes the federal minimum wage should exist, or not, but Ernst’s spokeswoman, Gretchen Hamel, reported Ernst does, in-fact, believe a baseline federal minimum wage should exist.
A story by KUT.org of the NPR Digital Network in Texas followed the Democratic Party’s statewide convention which addressed nominees for governor and lieutenant governor, and also held a rally for the Texas Democratic platform. The candidate nominees included State Senator Wendy Davis, a democrat from Fort Worth, and Leticia Van de Putte from San Antonio. The executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, Will Hailer, told KUT.org the platform for the Democrats contrasts with that of the Republicans, which is “very anti-immigration, anti-worker, and anti-women.” Hailer was also reported as saying democrats usually find a common ground while Republicans had been seen having “a crazy six, eight hour floor fight.” - Guardian Liberty Voice, 7/1/14
Anything can happen between now and November and we have to ready for anything. So lets make sure Braley's ready to go by donating and get involved with his campaign:
http://www.brucebraley.com/