Issue #341
Democrats can win on Social Security—by fighting to increase it
A new poll confirms that voters don’t just want their Social Security benefits protected, they want them expanded—in overwhelming numbers, across geographical distances, and crossing all party lines. It’s not just “liberals” who feel that way. Three out of four Republican voters support it. What’s more, voters say they’re far more likely to vote for candidates who vote to increase Social Security benefits. This is a winning issue for Democrats who are willing to take a firm stand as defenders—and expanders—of Social Security. Pollster Celinda Lake summarizes her findings by writing that “voters overwhelmingly support increasing Social Security benefits.” Lake and her team interviewed voters nationwide and in seven “red, blue, and purple” states, asking likely voters in November’s election if they support “increasing Social Security benefits and paying for that increase by having wealthy Americans pay the same rate into Social Security as everybody else.” The results were overwhelming. R.J. Eskow, Huffington Post, 9-9-14.