Social Security: Rick Perry's Ponzi Problem

Jamelle Bouie, in a blog entry for the American Prospect, says that GOP candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry's attack on Social Security could be the thread that unravels his campaign.

... No candidate has been more vocal on the issue of constitutional limits on the federal government than Texas Governor Rick Perry. During the summer, on the question of New York state's marriage-equality law, Perry said that he was fine with the decision: "That is their call. If you believe in the Tenth Amendment, stay out of their business."

Perry has since retracted his support for New York's decision to legalize same-sex marriage, under pressure from the Family Research Council and other anti-gay groups. But he still holds to the broader principle, which resonates with many conservatives -- like the ones at the Low Country 9/12 Project.

The problem for Perry comes with his other rhetoric -- namely, his disdain for Social Security. During a campaign event in Myrtle Beach on Labor Day, the Texas governor said that "anyone who wants to keep the status quo on entitlements isn't being honest," and at Wednesday's GOP debate in California, Perry called the retirement program a "monstrous lie" and a "Ponzi scheme."

To the older, white Tea Party voters Perry needs to win the Republican nomination, this simply isn't true. "We paid into Social Security," said Steven Anderson, a member of the Low Country 9/12 project and a retiree. His wife, Judie, chimed in, "It's not an entitlement, it's ours." The same went for Art LeBruce, a retired Army medic and longtime member of the group: "That's my money that I put into Social Security -- I deserve it."

Read Jamelle Bouie's entire blog entry at the American Prospect.

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