MR. RUSSERT: You mentioned Social Security. You were up in Ithaca at Cornell. "Dean pointed out that while he would not endorse this, if Social Security were left alone for" 10 "years, its benefits would be reduced to 80 percent of what it is now."
DR. DEAN: It's probably a slight mistake that the reporter made. It's actually about 35 years, but that's right. If we did nothing...
MR. RUSSERT: In 2042, the benefits would be about 73 percent of the schedule.
DR. DEAN: That's right.
MR. RUSSERT: So that being said, that Social Security recipients will in effect have a reduction in benefits if we do nothing...
DR. DEAN: That's right.
MR. RUSSERT: ...what are the Democrats going to do to prevent that?
DR. DEAN: Well, the first thing we're going to do is try to get the president to be serious about the issue. [Despite his personal campaigning across the nation to explain his plan for SS reform to the American people.] The president is pursuing these private [personal] accounts. I said earlier, and I'm really not kidding, this is turning Social Security over to the same folks that gave us Enron. [Again, American taxpayers gave us Enron?] We see now what happens to private accounts. [When run by corrupt CEOs or when used for Social Security benefits? Check with Chile on this one, not Enron.] The recent bankruptcy court judges is now undoing the pension funds of the people who work for United Airlines. That means likely that all the other airlines are next, because if you take a $9 billion item off the balance sheet of United Airlines, all the other airlines are going to want to do the same thing. [1) So just appeal until you win; 2) More fortune-telling! Slippery slope much, Mr. Dean?]
So we see this attack on both private and public pensions. [By the judicial branch, which you just vehemently defended in regards to Terry Schaivo.] I don't think we ought to attack the Social Security system. [Neither does President Bush. However, unlike Democrats, he’s willing to offer alternatives.] It is the last line of defense that Americans have when they lose their pensions. [Who’s calling to completely get rid of this system? Do you even know the president’s proposal?] So the Democrats--we will be happy to sit down with the president, but the president has got to stop doing what he always does, which is approaching issues from an ideological point of view. [How is it possible for one not to discuss ideas from an ideological point of view? Is that what’s preventing Democrats from having any ideas?] There's only one reason to put private accounts in Social Security.
The president has admitted they do nothing to help the problem in 2042. [Huh?] And that is they have an agenda to privatize [personalize] Social Security. It helps their campaign contributors and the businesses that support the president, and it also removes the risk from the government and puts it on the individual recipients. And it doesn't, contrary to what the president said, earn any more money once you get through the fees and so forth. [How do you know? Mr. Dean, where’s your crystal ball? Again, check with Chile, who successfully switched to optional, personal pension accounts in 1981.] When the president is willing to really sit down with us, we'll sit down with him, and we'll work with him to come up with a plan to tweak Social Security so that we can fix the problems that are going to happen to it in 35 or 40 years. [Bush is actually campaigning nationwide and holding primetime, televised press conferences to address the issue. When is his invitation good enough for Democrats?]
MR. RUSSERT: When you say tweak, you'd be willing to consider raising the eligibility age, reduction in cost of living, means testing?
DR. DEAN: Well, I don't think you...
MR. RUSSERT: There's tough choices here.
DR. DEAN: There are tough choices here, and when the president indicates that he's serious about making tough choices, we'd like to help make those tough choices. There are also some other things that people have, including Democrats, have put forward that the president has rejected out of hand. The president...
MR. RUSSERT: Such as?
DR. DEAN: Such as raising the cap. Right now the Social Security tax is only on the first, I think, about $85,000 worth of wages. I saw an economic analysis the other day [wow, good source] that said if you remove that cap entirely that Social Security will be solvent.
MR. RUSSERT: But that's raising taxes.
DR. DEAN: Well, the president has said that he only – that's why we [Democrats] don't come up with a plan, because whatever plan we come up with, thepresident is just going to say, "Oh, we're not going to do that, we're not going to do this." [(1) So you just admitted Democrats haven’t had, and don’t plan to come up with, a plan of their own; (2) You’re implying Democrats’ only ideas would require raised taxes; (3) You’re right: President Bush has said since day one that he won’t raise taxes on Americans; (4) "Oh, we're not going to do that, we're not going to do this." Isn’t that exactly what you and Congressional Democrats are saying about personal accounts?] All right, Mr. President, let's sit down and get serious. [Who’s the one campaigning and holding press conferences?] Take privatization of Social Security off the table, and I can guarantee you that Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi will sit down with the president. [*see point (4) above*] They have told me so privately. [Ahhh, so that’s why no evidence supports your claim.] They would be delighted to sit down with the president and try to work this out.
MR. RUSSERT: Congresswoman Pelosi said "We don't need a plan." Is this the Democrats doing, in effect, what the Republicans did with Hillary Clinton? She put forward her health-care plan as first lady. The Republicans didn't offer an alternative but just went at it, criticizing it,and you learned from that politically and that's exactly what you're doing to the Republicans.
DR. DEAN: The problem is that the president won't get off the dime. [H.D., 5/22/05: “Well, the first thing we're going to do is try to get the president to be serious about the issue.”] You know, there was an opportunity for the Clinton folks to compromise with Bob Dole, and we missed that opportunity. I was involved in the health care. I'll take some piece--I'll was--I'll take some responsibility for that. We missed that opportunity. We could have had something. The president can get something done on Social Security, but he has got to stop this nonsense of insisting that we privatize the last bastion of hope for retirees in this country as they see, under this administration, their private pensions get eroded. [Um, it’d be optional.]
[H.D., 5/22/05: “That's why we [Democrats] don't come up with a plan, because whatever plan we come up with, the president is just going to say, ‘Oh, we're not going to do that, we're not going to do this.’ ”]
MR. RUSSERT: And if the president takes private personal accounts off the table, then you would sit down, the Democrats would sit down and everything else would be on the table.
DR. DEAN: I won't sit down, but I'm sure--it's not my job to do that. But the senators and the congressmen have indicated that they'd be happy to sit down if privatization comes off the table.
[Apparently, sitting down is quite popular in Washington, D.C.]
MR. RUSSERT: Let me talk about some of the things you have said about the Republicans. Here's Howard Dean in January: "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for..."
Howard Dean in February: "This is a struggle between good and evil and we're the good." [Howard Dean, 5/22/05: “Look, we're not going to stoop to the kind of divisiveness that the Republicans are doing."
Do you really hate Republicans? Do you consider them evil?
DR. DEAN: I don't – well, actually that was a little out of context. [I’m sure you’ll explain how, which would be prudent.] But I don't hate Republicans as individuals. [Then why’d you say you do? Were you lying then or are you lying now?] But I hate what the Republicans are doing to this country. I really do. [H.D., 5/22/05: “Look, we're not going to stoop to the kind of divisiveness that the Republicans are doing.”] I hate deficits, as you know. When I was governor, I really was very tough on fiscal responsibility. Deficits in the long run aren't good for the country, and they do lower our standard of living. Every American family knows that you have to pay your bills. [Which Dems would apparently increase to fix social security.] I hate the dishonesty, you know, the idea that you'd put a program through Congress without telling people what it costs, I think that's wrong. [You hate dishonesty? Then please stop lying on this show, for starters.] Some of the things that the president said on our way into Iraq, they just weren't true, and I don't think that's right. [That he was misinformed by international intelligence agencies and world leaders?] So...
MR. RUSSERT: Such as?
DR. DEAN: Such as the weapons of mass destruction, which we have all known about, but the... [After the corrupt U.N. inspectors couldn’t find any (besides evil human beings).]
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