FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Betsy Barrett 202-997-3266

STEELE VS. STEELE

Dearborn, MI — Republican candidate Rob Steele is very hard to pin down on most issues, which was quite apparent at last week’s debate.  Despite running on a platform of spending cuts, Steele failed to cite even one program that he would cut.

But perhaps the most entertaining debate of the campaign has been the debate Steele seems to be having with… himself.  In moments of candor, he writes of his vision of privatizing Social Security – setting up a system of separate, private accounts that can be invested for “real return” (see AnnArbor.com Voter Guide and Rob Steele for Congress Facebook page, 8/16/2010).  But as soon as John Dingell began challenging him on the subject, pointing out that “real return” can sometimes look like the 40% drubbing the markets have taken in the last couple of years, Steele has rushed to contradict his earlier statements.

We hope pointing out these inconsistencies doesn’t hurt Dr. Steele’s feelings.  We are worried that he’s a bit thin-skinned, judging from the fact that he censors any messages of dissent or disagreement on his Facebook page.  But we happen to think that when you’re running for Congress, it’s important to take a clear stand.  For the record:  John Dingell will fight any effort to privatize Social Security – it is wrong for seniors, pure and simple.

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ROB STEELE…

“John Dingell is trying to define my policy positions in repetitive ads that are simply not true.”
Rob Steele for Congress Facebook Page, 10/17/2010

“Dr. Steele has never said he intends to privatize social security.”
YouTube.com, robsteele2010 channel, 10/18/2010

“I’ve never once talked about privatizing social security.”
MCCC Debate, 10/20/2010

“…ads that paint Mr. Steele as a proponent of privatizing Social Security and putting it in the hands of Wall Street, a charge Mr. Steele disputes as a ‘fabrication.’”
Wall Street Journal, 10/24/2010

…VS. ROB STEELE

“If there was actually money set aside and invested with real return people could get several times what they put in, unfortunately there is not.”
Rob Steele for Congress Facebook Page, 8/16/2010

“The most important longterm issue is social security and medicare. They must be restructured for those under 35. Let them have their own accounts, with fractional contributions to the current system to get the current beneficiaries through.”
AnnArbor.com Voter Guide

…AND THE TRUTH

If Social Security had been invested during the stock market collapse two years ago, seniors’ retirement would have declined nearly 40%. As much as Rob Steele wants to claim that John Dingell is lying about his position on Social Security, the truth is that those “real returns” are sometimes very real losses and individual “accounts” mean that retirees will have to fend for themselves without guaranteed Social Security benefits as they exist today.