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John,
When my grandfather, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, contracted polio in the early 1920s, he could have given into despair. Instead, he traveled to Georgia to seek the healing waters of its Warm Springs.
FDR quickly befriended his fellow polio patients and from then on, Georgia had a special place in his heart. After becoming president, he established a “little White House” there, where he escaped the stress of Washington and drew inspiration.
In a twist of fate, Georgia, the state my grandfather loved so deeply, now has the chance to determine the future of his greatest legacy—Social Security. Make no mistake: Social Security is on the ballot in the Jan. 5 runoff election. Will Social Security be protected and expanded or will Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continue to block Democratic efforts to improve the lives of Georgians and all Americans?
Together, let’s help flip the U.S. Senate and protect and expand Social Security in 2021. Donate directly to Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s Senate campaigns today.
Eighty-five years ago, when my grandfather signed Social Security into law, he called the legislation “a cornerstone which is being built but is by no means complete.” Democratic policymakers followed his lead, regularly increasing its benefits and adding protection for people who become disabled and their families.
In contrast, in the presidential election of 1936, Republican standard bearer Alf Landon called Social Security a “fraud” and a “hoax on the workingman.” Landon and the Republican party, perhaps not surprisingly, lost in a landslide.
Today’s Republican politicians are not as open about their views, but their hostility to Social Security can be seen by those who look hard enough. Sen. McConnell, who calls Social Security an “entitlement,” has declared the need to cut it.
And it is not just McConnell. In an interview with AARP, Sen. Kelly Loeffler chose her words carefully, saying, “we need to preserve (Social Security) for people who are close to retirement or in retirement.” That means she thinks benefits should not be preserved for those not “close to retirement,” though she does not define what that means. One year, two years? Sen. David Perdue has gone even farther. He is openly on board with slashing Georgians’ and all Americans’ earned benefits.
In stark contrast, Rev. Raphael Warnock told AARP “I will defend Social Security and Medicare” and Jon Ossoff promised “I will oppose any efforts to cut Social Security ... And I’ll work to strengthen and protect those benefits.”
The runoff election will decide whether Social Security opponents Sens. Loeffler and Perdue will be returned to Washington or will be replaced with Social Security defenders Warnock and Ossoff. Even more important, the election will decide if McConnell remains in control of the Senate.
Join me in supporting Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to flip the U.S. Senate and protect and expand Social Security in 2021.
If McConnell stays in power, he will take every opportunity to demand cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and every other program that helps working Georgians. We saw it during the President Barack Obama years, with constant threat of government shutdowns because Republicans used what should be routine government actions, like raising the debt ceiling, as opportunities for hostage-taking.
My grandfather passionately believed that government, used effectively, is a powerful force for good. So does Joe Biden, who has the potential to be a transformative leader in a time of crisis, just as FDR was. But if McConnell remains in power, Biden will be governing with both hands tied behind his back.
- James Roosevelt Jr.
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