During the first segment of the Republican debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Mitt Romney went at it again on Social Security.
Perry was a more careful in his wording this time — while not backing off his “Ponzi scheme” arguement, he said he supports keeping Social Security the same for those at and near retirement, while reforming it for younger Americans. However, though he said people needed to have the courage to talk about changing the program, this is only a credible argument if he does release a specific plan to reform the program.
Romney repeatedly said that Perry’s language was “frightening” seniors, and saying, “The term ‘ponzi scheme’ scares seniors.” This was a mistake, especially with the Tea Party audience that was clearly more sympathetic toward Perry’s position.
