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NEW YORK -- In little-noticed remarks at a Tea Party town hall meeting earlier this year, Republican Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon proposed introducing a "sunset provision" into the Social Security Act.
McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, has consistently dodged questions about cutting government entitlement programs in her two Senate runs.
Speaking before a group of Tea Party supporters in Waterford, Conn. on April 20, however, McMahon said she would consider making major changes to Social Security, from raising the retirement age to means-testing benefits. She also proposed introducing a "sunset provision" -- the legislative term for putting an expiration date on a law unless it is renewed.
It's unclear what McMahon meant when she spoke about a "sunset provision" for Social Security, and her campaign did not directly address the word in a statement. McMahon's spokesman defended the candidate's record on entitlement programs and attacked her opponent, Chris Murphy.
"Linda McMahon is committed to reforming entitlements without breaking the promises we've made to our seniors," said Todd Abrajano. "Linda McMahon will never vote for a budget that cuts Social Security for seniors, and unlike Chris Murphy she would never have voted to cut Medicare by $716 billion."
At the April Tea Party gathering, McMahon said in response to a question about how to "strengthen" Social Security and Medicare that "we cannot continue doing things the way we are doing with Social Security. We're just simply going to be bankrupt."
The candidate later continued, "In other words, I believe in sunset provisions when we pass this kind of legislation, so that you take a look at it 10, 15 years down the road to make sure that it's still going to fund itself. Social Security will run out of money if we continue to do what we're doing, if we rob the trust fund, if we think that there's any money there."
Originally posted here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/linda-mcmahon-social-security-tea-party_n_1917626.html
PS I think the key to her remarks is the part about getting rid of Social Security more than helping the elderly.
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