Cicilline, the current Mayor of Providence, is running in the 1st District of Rhode Island, for the open seat currently held by Patrick Kennedy, who is not running again. The Republican candidate is John Loughlin. The Cook Report recently moved the race from Likely-D to Lean-D.
As part of the Tour, Cicilline will visit senior citizen centers around the state to warn the elderly that Republicans are a threat to their checks.
Ciciilline kicked off at a senior center in Pawtucket, RI, where Cicilline and two state Democratic candidates offered free pizza to lure seniors to attend. As reported by a local Rhode Island political website (see also video below and image above):
Democratic Congressional candidate David Cicilline yesterday vowed to fight with "every fiber of his body" any efforts to privatize Social Security, which he warned his Republican opponent, John Loughlin, would do if elected to Congress.The Providence Journal quoted part of Cicilline's speech in which Cicilline falsely told seniors their checks would be at risk if Republicans were elected (emphasis mine):
Cicilline also said he would help seniors get transportation to everything from doctor visits to senior centers. He also said he would get more federal funding for prescription drugs, saying seniors shouldn't have to choose between their medicine and buying groceries. "In the richest, most powerful nation in the world, no senior ... should face that choice," Cicilline said. He spoke at the St. Germain Manor Senior Center in Pawtucket, kicking off what his campaign called the "Fighting for Social Security" tour.
“There are people all across this country, Republicans, that are [saying] what we have to do is privatize Social Security,” Cicilline told about 50 seniors who had gathered for a candidate-sponsored pizza dinner. “Now, if we privatize Social Security, and you take what happened in the stock market over the last several years, that will put so many of our seniors and people who rely on Social Security at a terrible, terrible risk.”Cicilline's presentation to seniors was false in numerous respects. There is no threat to the checks to be received by seniors now in the system either under the present system or with any reforms now in the early stages of discussion. None, yet Cicilline cynically suggests to the elderly that their checks are in jeopardy.
Cicilline's fear mongering about "privatization" also was misleading because the types of changes proposed by people like Paul Ryan would not affect anyone currently receiving social security, or even people a decade or more away, and would not require people to invest in the stock market.
Yet Cicilline raises the bogeyman of privatization to scare the elderly at senior centers.
There is a method to Cicilline's political madness. Rhode Island has one of the highest percentages of seniors in the nation, so scaring the elderly makes good politics.
What type of politician lures the elderly to meetings with offers of free pizza only to scare them half to death with false claims that their social security checks are in danger?
Well, let's just say Cicilline is not one of those Democrats running away from Obama.
Update: Thanks to a reader for alerting me that similar talking points about privatizing social security were deemed an outright falsehood by PolitiFact. It appears that Cicilline is using DCCC campaign strategy. The Providence Journal uses PolitiFact, will it run a Pants on Fire evaluation for Cicilline?
I have e-mailed The Providence Journal requesting that they submit Cicilline's claims to PolitiFact, or at least report that identical claims have been found to be false. I'll let you know what I hear back.
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Related Posts:
The Patrick Kennedy Seat - "Are You Kidding Me?"
The Patrick Kennedy Seat Is In Play Again
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Loughlin should hit back accusing this guy of supporting Obamacare, which denies drugs and medical care to the elderly.
ReplyDeletePity that they did not throw the pizza at this putz.
ReplyDeleteHere where I live, our metro newspaper (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) links to PolitFact Wisconsin (which is part of PolitiFact National).
ReplyDeleteThis just in today:
U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen (D - WI) says opponent Reid Ribble wants to phase out Social Security
PolitiFact gave it a "Pants on Fire" rating on the Truth-o-Meter, the lowest rating possible.
Here was an earlier one that also got a "Pants on Fire" rating:
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says Sean Duffy (running as Republican to replace David Obey - WI)wants to privatize Social Security
What's interesting is so far PoliticFact Wisconsin has ranked 4 statements as "Pants On Fire", besides these two cited above, the other was Senator Feingold (D) & Milwaukee Mayor Barrett, Democratic candidate for governor. So, right now, the Democrats are 4 of 4 for blatant lying.
I wish the Republican party would "grow a set" and start hammering at this - possible themes could be, "Attention Democrats, why is your party lying to you? Why are they underestimating your intelligence to tell fact from fiction? What other misinformation are they conveying to you, just to get your vote? Why are you being taken advantage of?"
Hey, what is a Democrat campaign without scaring Grandma.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the "lay of the land" of Rhode Island, but if I'm reading this right, was this taped at a "senior center" at St. Germain Manor?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, if I am reading this right, St. Germain Manor is a HUD rent-assisted low-income project for the elderly & disabled:
St. Germain Manor - The Housing Authority of the City of Pawtucket
So, this turd blossom is trolling for votes at tax payer subsidized housing? These people are paying rents based on 30% of adjusted income (+income-medical expenses). They are the last people that have to worry about Social Security cuts - they are pretty much held harmless from increased housing costs, and any cuts in income correlate to a lower rent amount.
Please check this out - if this is going on, citizens with relatives that live in HUD rent assisted housing projects need a forum to report if this is happneing in their community too.
@alan markus - yup, it was at St. Germaine senior center, which I assume is part of the housing complex. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to bog you down (but I do think this is something "big"), but someone could wonder if that senior citizen center was constructed with Community Developement Block Grants (CDBG) and if this policy was complied with:
ReplyDelete24 CFR 570.207 - Ineligible activities.
Code of Federal Regulations - Title 24: Housing and Urban Development
"3) Political activities. CDBG funds shall not be used to finance the use of facilities or equipment for political purposes or to engage in other partisan political activities, such as candidate forums, voter transportation, or voter registration. However, a facility originally assisted with CDBG funds may be used on an incidental basis to hold political meetings, candidate forums, or voter registration campaigns, provided that all parties and organizations have access to the facility on an equal basis, and are assessed equal rent or use charges, if any."
Sometimes HUD regulations cross-cut other programs - i.e Public Housing. Don't have the time to figure that out right now. Just wondering how compliant the Housing Authority was in regards to Code of Federal Regulations.