Republican

In Iowa, it’s handshake-to-handshake combat

Posted on 12/27/2011 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

PoliticsEverything that’s wonderful about the Iowa caucuses is on parade in the frenzied days before the Jan. 3 showdown. It’s handshake-to-handshake combat, retail politicking at its finest. You can find Michele Bachmann praying on a Sunday morning with the congregation of the Harvest Baptist Church in Fort Dodge and then by day’s end admiring the beer-can Christmas tree at the Thirsty Dog Lounge in Manly. Or Newt Gingrich autographing a box of Corn Pops for a supporter at a rally …

The Takeaway: Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Social Security Debate?

Posted on 09/13/2011 by | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsIs Rick Perry a ‘Scary Guy?’ There was more talk of vaccinating young girls than of saving Social Security at last night’s ‘CNN/Tea Party Express‘ debate, as the GOP candidates—led by an especially vocal Michele Bachmann—leapt on Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the state’s mandating girls get the HPV vaccine. Social Security got its due time, though, when Perry (his rhetoric slightly toned down from last week) called it “a broken system” that politicians were afraid to discuss honestly with the American people, …

GOP Riff Over Social Security Heating Up

Posted on 09/12/2011 by | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsWe’re used to seeing Social Security disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, but the issue is now becoming a major source of contention within the GOP. At a debate Wednesday night, Texas governor and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” This didn’t sit well with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who said that kind of rhetoric is bad for the party.