Obama's Social Security Whopper

I guess Obama/Biden just lost the bridge to Nowhere as a talking point, lol.

Although Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden routinely mocks his Republican counterpart, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for her onetime support of the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," Biden and his running mate voted to keep the project alive twice.
Both Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama voted to kill a Senate amendment that would have diverted federal funding for the bridge to repair a Louisiana span badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Senate records show.
And both voted for the final transportation bill that included the $223 million earmark for the Alaska project.
An amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, would have stripped the money appropriated to connect the Alaskan coastal city of Ketchikan to its airport on sparsely populated Gravina Island and diverted the money to Louisiana.
But Biden andObama and 80 of their colleagues rejected the measure, an amendment to a massive 2005 transportation bill that funded thousands of projects across the country. ???That is probably the most disturbing element of this and the campaigning on the Bridge to Nowhere," said Bill Allison of the Sunlight Foundation, a taxpayer watchdog group. "Because, yes, they had a chance to vote specifically against the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to redirect the money to people, to bridges and infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Katrina going in to New Orleans, and they chose not to."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/23/biden.earmarks/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Say what you want but there has been less low blows from the McCain camp since Obama has hit him back a few times below the belt. It could be because there is more attention now to Obama's ads.

Obama can take the high road but he doesn't have to be McCain's punching bag. An occasional low for low blows hopefully keeps McCain's punches above the belt..

oops, double-post.

You're basically calling his hypothetical story, which was exaggerated a bit, a "whopper". I think that's a bit of an overstatement in itself.

As far as the "Isn't this what we've come to expect from Nobama", try looking at factcheck's comments on the convention speaches. Obama exaggerated the facts on a few items while McCain completely makes stuff up.

Claiming that Obama is the only one "misguiding" people is just plain ignorant.

I wouldn't call this a "whopper." Yes, he's wrong about who would currently be at risk if Social Security privatization had passed in '05, but the core of the argument is there. This is the future under a Republican plan, which serves the Wall Street lobbyists not the American people. NO ONE'S benefits should be at risk. Ever. That's the first priority of any action on Social Security - not seeing to it that Wall Street fat cats get even fatter.

Isn't this what we've come to expect from Nobama?

It is absolutely true that Bush proposed privatizing social security, with the draw of putting those monies in the stock market, and McCain supported it. Absolutely true.

Good article for a change - Obama is winging it as usual.

"While McCain has voted in favor creating private Social Security accounts in the past" is the key. I think it's fair to say that Obama was not referring simply to the 2005 failed Bush scheme. I think Obama was correct to say that current Social Security recipients would have their benefits at risk if McCain had his way.

completely bogus story

Obama's quote was:

"if my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would've had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week."

He did not say anything about the plan that was proposed by President Bush and supported by McCain.

You surely can not deny that If McCain had his way the entire system would have been tied up in the stock market. This, in fact is his way, and thank God he did not have his way.

Obama's quote was:

"if my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would've had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week."

He did not say anything about the plan that was proposed by President Bush and supported by McCain.

You surely can not deny that If McCain had his way the entire system would have been tied up in the stock market. This, in fact is his way, and thank God he did not have his way.

Is this called taking the higher ground Senator Obama? Is this the change in politics we can expect from your presidency? Other then retoric, what exactly can the American people count on from your candidacy that is NOT subject to change in the near future? Part of me can't vote for you because I know you can't accomplish the goals you've stated you would. The other part can't vote for you because of an old saying I hold very dear and have found to be true too many times. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. Why else hasn't any other president came up with half of the things you've stated you'd fix? Seems if if was as easy as you say it is, it would have been done already. Sorry Senator, you very well may have OVERSOLD yourself.

Another pile of bullcrap from a candidate running for POTUS . . why can't our politicians just simply say no to lying to the American people. BOTH candidates are doing this, BOTH candidates resort to cheap politics to win votes. There is NO sincerity, NO honesty here. I'm so so sick of people blindly falling into one camp or another and defending the virtues of their candidates while ignoring their lack of honesty and integrity when dealing with an opponent. Both Republicans and Democrats need a gut check here. All we are getting in this campaign is more of the typical political bullcrap . . .nothing's changed, and none of it will when one of these guy's become president. Their just pawns of the establishment and are proving it more and more each time they open their mouths.