Advocacy Group Claims Credit for Electing Candidates
Opposed to Social Security Privatization
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and
Medicare sets agenda for next Congress
Nov. 5, 2008 One senior citizen advocacy group
was quick to claim credit today for helping elect a significant number
of Congressional candidates who understand the privatization of Social
Security and Medicare is not the answer to long-term solvency.
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security
and Medicare PAC says 93% of the House and Senate candidates it
supported and/or endorsed have won their elections.
Obama, McCain battle over private investment
accounts. Administration's failed economic policies have threaten
seniors' income security, says Committee to Preserve Social Security,
Medicare
"Social Security was a critical issue in many
Congressional campaigns this season and voters overwhelming chose
candidates who were crystal clear in their opposition to privatization.
We look forward to working with the new Congress on measures which will
preserve and strengthen both Social Security and Medicare for future
generations," said Max Richtman, National Committee Executive VP and PAC
Director
In a news release the PAC said, For eight long
years while the Social Security and Medicare programs were under attack
by the Bush administration, the National Committee to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare led a national education and advocacy campaign to
broaden nationwide opposition to the privatization movement and its
supporters.
Statement on the Election of Barack Obama as
President
Barbara B. Kennelly, President and CEO of the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, issued the
following statement to NCPSSM members and supporters:
"The challenges facing President-elect Obama and
the new Congress are immense; however, I am hopeful the nation's
overwhelming support for a new direction in Washington will embolden
leaders to look beyond the failed Social Security and Medicare
privatization politics of the past eight years.
The National Committee and its millions of members
and supporters nationwide look forward to working with Congress and the
President on healthcare reform, drug price negotiation in Medicare, the
elimination of wasteful subsidies to private Medicare programs and the
strengthening of Social Security for future generations.
America's seniors, the disabled, survivors and
their families know there is much to do as we correct course in
Washington. Preserving and strengthening the nation's safety net
programs, especially during these difficult economic times, must be a
priority."
The results of those years of NCPSSM efforts are
in. NCPSSM members and supporters have used the 2008 ballot boxes to
say "enough is enough."
The release says that during the 2008 campaign
season, the National Committee participated in Congressional Town Hall
meetings, hosted Grassroots informational events for seniors, launched a
broad voter education/outreach campaign, and ultimately endorsed and/or
supported 180 candidates for the U.S. House and Senate.
That same broad outreach will now be focused on
shaping public policy changes in the new 111th Congress, the release
said.
Among the National Committee's priorities for the
new President and Congress are:
● Enact health care reform that slows the rate
of growth in healthcare costs, reducing Medicare's costs for
beneficiaries and the government
● Eliminate wasteful subsidies to private
Medicare programs and use that money to improve care for seniors
● Eliminate means-tested Part B premiums to keep
Medicare affordable for all
The organization added, As home equity evaporates,
investment income plummets and healthcare costs skyrocket unchecked,
programs such as Social Security and Medicare must continue to provide a
vital lifeline for millions of American families during this and any
other economic crisis.
The National Committee is preparing its 2009
Legislative Agenda and will continue to be a leading voice for seniors
during upcoming policy debates. On behalf of its millions of members and
supporters nationwide, the NCPSSM will lobby Congress and the new
President to pass legislation beneficial to seniors, the disabled,
survivors and their families.
Background Information
The National Committee, a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization acts in the interests of its membership through advocacy,
education, services, grassroots efforts and the leadership of the Board
of Directors and professional staff. The work of the National Committee
is directed toward developing better-informed citizens and voters.
Nov. 5, 2008 One senior citizen advocacy group
was quick to claim credit today for helping elect a significant number
of Congressional candidates who understand the privatization of Social
Security and Medicare is not the answer to long-term solvency.
Barbara B. Kennelly, President and CEO of the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, issued the
following statement to NCPSSM members and supporters: