Reforming Medicare and Social Security would be obvious questions for the Fox News moderators to ask the top-10-polling candidates who will assemble at Quicken Loans Arena.
Jeb Bush endured some bad press at the end of last month after comments in which he seemed to endorse “phasing out” Medicare. Christie, who snuck in to the main debate as one of the last qualifiers, has made entitlement reform a centerpiece of his campaign, part of his “telling it like it is” motif. He supports raising the Social Security retirement age, as does Bush. Sen. Ted Cruz has gone further, voicing an appreciation for President George W. Bush’s failed bid to partially privatize the retirement program. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, on the other hand, has said that he would defend Social Security and Medicare from any proposed cuts.
Bush’s recent experience is illustrative of the risk for Republicans. Democrats attacked as soon as his Medicare comments were reported and have kept at it over the last two weeks.
“I don’t think you can credibly say that everybody has a right to rise and then say you’re for phasing out Medicare or for repealing Obamacare,” Hillary Clinton said Friday at an event where she and Bush were both speaking, playing off the name of the super PAC supporting the former Florida governor.
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