Caught on camera

The co-chair of the deficit commission was just caught on tape calling Social Security recipients "lesser people." He needs to resign immediately. Check out the video, then add your name to the call for his resignation. Watch the video

Dear MoveOn member,

I'll bet you know a lot of good people who depend on their Social Security check. Hard-working folks who have contributed their whole lives and now need those checks. Like my grandparents. Or your grandparents. Or your parents. Or you.

Well, former Republican Senator Alan Simpson was just caught on camera calling them "lesser people."

That kind of condescending disrespect would be infuriating coming from anyone, but Senator Simpson isn't just anyone.  He's a co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, which is charged with finding ways to cut the deficit.

And Simpson is joining with the other right-wing ideologues on the "deficit commission" to find a way to cut Social Security for those "lesser people"—even though Social Security hasn't caused the deficit.¹

Someone with Senator Simpson's disdainful attitude and ideological commitment to cutting Social Security has no business serving in this powerful position. This video shows it's time for him to resign. 

Can you check out the video, join our call for Simpson to resign, and then pass on the video to your friends?

http://pol.moveon.org/deficitcommission/simpson.html?id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=5

Not only does the video show Simpson's contempt for retired Americans who rely on Social Security, it also shows his contempt for the facts. Paul Krugman detailed some of Simpson's lies on his blog today.² And even the Fiscal Times—a newspaper funded by Pete Peterson, a billionaire hedge fund manager who's been trying to cut Social Security for years—admitted that Simpson's "facts" are just plain wrong.³

But that hasn't stopped right-wing blogs from taking Simpson's side. They're pushing the idea that Simpson "remained reasonable throughout," despite his profanity and condescending speech.⁴ They know that if Simpson is forced to resign over his comments, it could stop plans to cut Social Security in their tracks.

The outrageous video of Simpson has already been seen almost 50,000 times. It's our best opportunity yet to pull back the curtain on the closed-door meetings the deficit commission has been holding to let the public know who's deciding the fate of Social Security.

Can you join our call for Simpson to resign, and then pass on the video to your friends at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/deficitcommission/simpson.html?id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=6

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Duncan, Matt, Nita, Joan, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Zombies Have Already Killed The Deficit Commission," The New York Times, June 21, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89114&id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=7

2. "Zombies Have Already Killed The Deficit Commission," The New York Times, June 21, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89114&id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=8

3. "Simpson's Comments Undermine Commission Efforts," The Fiscal Times, June 20, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89115&id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=9

4. "Watch Alan Simpson School A Lefty," Breitbart.TV, June 18, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89116&id=21242-10220574-R0KuHAx&t=10

"Alan Simpson," The Daily Mail, June 19, 2010
http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/16245

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