The 2008 Democratic Candidates on Social Security Issues

The Democratic candidates in the 2008 presidential race have remained largely mum in public forums and debates about Social Security.

And frankly, it bothers me that Barack Obama, one of the frontrunners in the Democratic race, skipped out entirely on the AARP debate held on September 8. His absence made me wonder if his positions on retirement security are weak compared to the other candidates.

The Social Security-related issues Democrats most care about are :

• Do candidates pledge to not cut Social Security benefits?
• Do candidates oppose privatization of Social Security ?
• Do candidates plan to take steps to achieve long-term solvency?

As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently said, "Nobody should be fooled into believing that the only way to save Social Security is to destroy it with privatization or deep benefit cuts."

For my curiosity, and your information, I researched the sparsely-documented stances of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson on these three Social Security-related questions... and I was stunned at what I found (or didn't find?).

There seem to be big differences between the Democratic candidates on these vital questions. And those differences will be an important factor when I cast my primary ballot.

Take a gander at The 2008 Democratic Candidates on Social Security Issues for the results of my research.

And for good measure, bone-up on the basic issues at Common Sense Says No to Privatization: 17 Facts about Social Security.

Related Reading
Social Security Primer - Retirement, Disability, Survivors Benefits (U.S. Gov't Info)
FY 2008 Budget "Borrows" $674 Billion from Social Security (U.S. Economy)