Union Leader: Hassan attacks Bolduc over Social Security, Medicare
By Kevin Landrigan
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan’s latest attack against Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc is over his past support for privatizing Social Security and Medicare.
In a new digital ad, Hassan’s campaign uses Bolduc’s own words of support for a $1.2 trillion cut to Medicare and $2 trillion cut to Social Security.
“Bolduc’s plan to end Social Security and decimate Medicare proves Don Bolduc doesn’t know what is best for New Hampshire,” the ad states.
[…]
“Don Bolduc’s extreme agenda of ending Social Security and Medicare as we know it threatens the health and economic security of seniors across New Hampshire,” said Maggie for NH spokesperson Kevin Donohoe.
“It’s clear that Don Bolduc’s out-of-touch priorities would cause serious harm to Granite State seniors.”
In the ad, Bolduc also expressed support for raising the retirement age to receive benefits.
“We raise the age limit by two years and over time we have no more Social Security,” Bolduc said.
[…]
Earlier in this campaign, Bolduc said he favored transitioning younger workers to have flexible savings accounts. He said Social Security came about in a “different time, a different place, a different economy.”
On Thursday, Politico reported that Bolduc floated the idea of privatizing these programs as recently as at one of his campaign town hall meetings last month.
“The privatization is hugely important,” the retired army general told the audience in Pembroke on Aug. 2 according to Politico. “Getting government out of it, getting government money with strings attached out of it.”
[…]
The story quoted some New Hampshire Republicans who said the issue presents an election dilemma for Bolduc.
“He has problems. This doesn’t solve any of them, and perhaps compounds them a little bit,” said Tom Rath, former attorney general and a GOP campaign strategist. “This is a state with a lot of folks over 60 — you’re talking to one — and that matters.”
Politico quoted Mike Dennehy, a lobbyist who had supported the rival campaign of Senate GOP candidate Kevin Smith who finished in third place in the GOP primary.
“The reality is when any candidate takes a position and then changes it within a short timeframe, it is very difficult to defend,” Dennehy said.
Read the whole story at The Union Leader
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