Back in 2008, when then-Senator Barack Obama was running for President, and needed the votes of seniors, he went
before the AARP and made this promise below as you can see in this video clip:
Candidate Obama: "Be a cost of living adjustment or a raise in retirement age, let me be clear, I will not do either. There is another option that is fair for working men and women without putting a burden on those who have [unclear]...Right now, the social security payroll tax cut is capped....[end of clip]."
The Chained CPI formula
is NOT "strengthening" or "safeguarding" Social Security as some Capitol Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz would like to claim. It's a regressive benefit cut that takes money away from seniors in their golden years of life to help pay for the tax cuts for the wealthy.
The President has broken his promise to seniors. The Capitol leadership are breaking their promise to seniors not to cut Social Security benefits, and they need to know the harm that they are causing people like our grandparents, sisters, brothers, relatives, and friends who are dependent on Social Security. They are stepping right on the third rail and about to electrify themselves for the coming 2014 elections.
It's high time to remind the Democrats in Congress who are facing re-election in 2014 that voting to cut Social Security would imperil their own chances at re-election, and that the Republicans will go after them with utter glee in telling voters that Democratic representative voted to cut Social Security. And guess what? It'll be true.
What can you do to remind your Democratic Member of Congress about the dangers of cutting benefits for seniors? First of, let's shame these Democrats with a reminder of who the Social Security cuts would impact with a Twitter campaign. You can send a tweet of your loved one's photo to the Democratic Member of Congress with the hashtag #nocutstoSS.
List of Members of Congress on Twitter can be found here.
1. Send a tweet to your Member of Congress using the list above, attach a photo of your loved one, and use the hashtag #nocutstoSS.You can use the sample tweet messages below:
@NancyPelosi Your Chained CPI cuts would hurt seniors like [my husband/wife/grandmother.] Don't vote on the Chained CPI cut! #nocutstoSS
@SenatorReid If you vote on Chained CPI to hurt seniors, we won't vote for you in 2014. #nocutstoSS
2. I personally will spend $100 dollars on Twitter to promote any tweets that are sent out to Members of Congress showing photos of seniors that the Chained CPI cut would impact, and using the hashtag #nocutstoSS.
If you're in with reminding Congressional Democrats that they are supposed to protect seniors, the disabled, veterans, and to ensure that Social Security is not cut to help pay for a marginal tax increase on the wealthy, then I'm with you as well.
Join the Faces Of Seniors Campaign