Social Security Becoming an Issue in 38th District Senate Race

By Jason Johnson | Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 | Politics

In Adam Light’s latest campaign newsletter he alerts supporters that just over four months before Election Day, his opponent, Sen. Phil Puckett, while polling the district, also appears to be honing a new attack on his Republican challenger: Adam Light wants to cut Social Security.  Granted, the Senate of Virginia is a powerful body, I mean it has almost single-handedly delayed the approval of a congressional redistricting plan and ensured that a number of judicial vacancies remain unfilled, but cutting Social Security?  That, as our president might say, is above its paygrade.

Sen. Puckett must be getting very nervous if he feels the need to play the “scare the seniors card” well before Memorial Day.  From the Light Campaign:

You and I both know that as a State Senator, I will have no control over the Social Security Administration. I couldn’t stop a single Social Security check, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. We’ve made promises, and people have paid their hard-earned money into the system. The promises should be kept. It’s not the people’s fault that politicians have been irresponsible with their money.  Having said that, I will not deny that I’m open to ideas as to what we should do moving forward to make sure that all Virginians have a secure opportunity to plan for and then enjoy retirement.

So either Sen. Puckett knows that he’s being outhustled by Light’s energetic, grassroots campaign and feels the need to do whatever necessary to scare 38th District voters into not voting for Adam Light or he else he fears that if Republicans win control of the state Senate, they will invoke the “Janet Howell Rule” to go after Social Security “because I said so” (sarcasm alert).  Regardless, what does it say about a senator when he believes his constituents don’t know the difference between a state issue and a federal issue?

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