By Edward Mejia Davis, CNN
A closed-door speech to Morgan Stanley in 2013, revealed in hacked emails posted by WikiLeaks, could stoke new questions for Hillary Clinton Wednesday night about whether she truly believes in the fiscal sustainability of the promises she is making on the campaign trail.
In the speech, Clinton referred to the 2010 Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan as “the right framework,” a stance that is seemingly at odds with her 2016 platform. Throughout the year, Clinton has been decidedly to the left of Simpson-Bowles, which called for a series of changes, including raising the Social Security retirement age from 67 to 69, cutting the growth of future benefits and considering a change in the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 if health care costs grow faster than expected.
While the general election has been seemingly void of policy issues, the future of Social Security and Medicare may come up at Wednesday’s final presidential debate, where “debt and entitlements” are one of six pre-selected topics.
WikiLeaks has posted roughly 15,000 emails hacked from campaign chairman John Podesta’s account this month, with more to come. The Clinton campaign is not confirming the authenticity of any of the individual emails and sharply criticized Trump for not condemning what they view to be a hack directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the purpose of influencing the US election.
But the Clinton campaign is simultaneously distancing itself from the Simpson-Bowles framework and is suggesting that the Democratic nominee is now firmly in the liberal camp wanting to expand benefits.
“Since the beginning of the campaign, Secretary Clinton has committed to expanding Social Security and she’s made clear that she would not raise the retirement age or reduce cost of living adjustments,” Clinton spokesperson Julie Wood told CNN
In her 2016 campaign, Clinton has promised to look at raising Social Security taxes on wealthier Americans without specifying exactly how she would do it. Currently, the Social Security tax only applies to the first $118,500 of income. At the same time, Clinton has shied away from the kinds of restraints on spending advocated in the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan.
But in the April 2013 Morgan Stanley speech, Clinton suggested that Democrats who call for higher taxes while rejecting restraints on spending contribute to Washington’s “gridlocked dysfunction” because they leave no room for compromise with Republicans.
“[T]he Simpson-Bowles framework and the big elements of it were right. The specifics can be negotiated and argued over. But you got to do all three. You have to restrain spending, you have to have adequate revenues, and you have to have growth. And I think we are smart enough to figure out how to do that,” said Clinton, according to the speech excerpt contained in the stolen email.
“[Y]ou’ve got Democrats saying that, you know, you have to have more revenues; that’s the sine qua non of any kind of agreement. You have Republicans saying no, no, no on revenues; you have to cut much more deeply into spending,” she said according to the excerpts. “Well, look what’s happened.”
Trump tried to seize on the Simpson-Bowles hacked email while campaigning last week in Pennsylvania.
“The speeches also show that Crooked Hillary supports cutting Medicare and Social Security benefits, one more example of how Hillary Clinton’s public position is a lie,” Trump said. “She wants to knock the hell out of your Social Security. She wants to knock the hell out of your Medicare and Medicaid. And I am going to save them.”
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
