Back in November, Fix the Debt member Larry Pressler told the National Journal that the rationale for his candidacy was the national deficit and getting a “grand bargain,” which meant cutting Social Security in exchange for Republicans agreeing to some tax increases. That meant, he said, increasing the retirement age. Apparently, Pressler has now changed his mind, telling the Argus Leader that the solution is tweaking the payroll tax cap, and that if “we don’t do something like that, we would have to raise the retirement age, which I am not in favor of doing.” When the paper asked him why he had told the National Journal he advocated for the retirement age hike, Pressler responded: “I was clearly misquoted.”
And, roll tape, which the National Journal conveniently still has.
“You’re talking about raising the retirement age over a 15-year period?” National Journal asked.
“Yes,” responded Pressler, who served as a volunteer on Fix the Debt, a corporate-backed group that advocated both entitlement cuts and higher taxes as a way to reduce the deficit.
Later, a reporter asked again if he had correctly understood that the former senator wanted to gradually increase the Social Security retirement age.
“That is correct,” he said. […]
“We don’t have enough money to sustain Social Security and certain retirement programs as we’re now proceeding,” he said. He also said he supported implementing the so-called chained CPI, which would reduce payments to beneficiaries by calculating a lower rate of inflation.
Boy, it’s hard to see how Pressler was misquoted on that when he affirmed it, twice. What’s more, according to National Journal reporter Alex Roarty, Pressler volunteered that answer, tweeting “When I spoke with him, his biggest concern was deficit reduction. He mentioned SS changes unsolicited.”
So a year ago, reducing the deficit was the most important thing ever for Larry Pressler, and raising the retirement age was how it would happen, with people having to wait to enter their planned assisted living homes. But that was back then, when he could just be a gadfly, Fix the Debt deficit peacock and get attention from the national media for running for something. Now that it’s looking like maybe he has a shot at winning, his tune sure has changed.
Please give $3 to elect Rick Weiland, a real South Dakotan-and a real progressive-to the Senate.
Voting by mail is convenient, easy, and defeats the best of the GOP’s voter suppression efforts. Sign up here to check eligibility and vote by mail, then get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up as well.
This tells us two things: messing with Social Security is clearly a very unpopular position for someone pretending not to be a Republican to take, even in South Dakota. Also, Larry Pressler it pretty much a liar.
