From Political Hotsheet: Perry and Romney trade jabs on Social Security. Click for the whole story
Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, gestures as Texas Gov. Rick Perry watches during a Republican debate Monday, Sept. 12, 2011, in Tampa, Fla.
(Credit: Mike Carlson)
The top contenders for the Republican nomination for president came out of the gate swinging at each other Monday over the future of Social Security in a televised debate sponsored by the Tea Party Express.
Texas Governor Rick Perry softened his comments from a week earlier in California when he called the retirement program established in the wake of the Great Depression “a monstrous lie” to young people.
On Monday at the Florida debate, Perry called the Social Security system broken, but he said emphatically that anyone now receiving benefits or nearing retirement age would not have those checks curtailed.
“Slam dunk guarantee,” Perry said, “that program is going to be there in place” for current retirees, adding it would be in place for “those individuals who are moving towards being on Social Security, that program’s going to be there for them when they arrive there.”
