Sean Duffy offers Social Security ideas

Republican congressional candidate Sean Duffy said
he would consider means-testing benefits and tax
levels for Social Security as a way to shore up the
program.

The concept would change the way Social Security
benefits are calculated for those earning more than
a specific level of income. Duffy didn’t give a
specific earning total or percentage for benefits but
said he wouldn’t apply the strategy to current
retirees or those already banking on Social Security.

The former district attorney for Ashland County met
with the Wausau Daily Herald Editorial Board on
Thursday as he prepares to face off with Democrat
Julie Lassa, a state senator from Stevens Point, in the
Nov. 2 general election.

The tough contest to replace retiring Rep. Dave
Obey has earned national attention from both
political parties and outside groups that are flexing
their political muscles in waves of television
advertising.

Social Security has remained an issue in those ads
and throughout the campaign. Lassa’s camp
repeatedly has accused Duffy of wanting to privatize
the program, and he has repeatedly denied the
claim.

Duffy said he’s also interested in what a presidential
commission formed to evaluate Social Security will
report later this year.

As the Nov. 2 election approaches, the intense
contest between Duffy and Lassa has ramped up.
Both candidates have sharper answers to
accusations hurled in tough television and radio
ads.

Duffy insisted he’s run a positive campaign and said
his ads that confront Lassa “were responses to her
attacks.”

He lamented the involvement of third-party
organizations on his behalf but avoided
denouncing their tactics or messages.

“Do I wish there were no third-party ads being run?
Absolutely,” he said. “I can only control what Sean
Duffy does.”

During Thursday’s interview, Duffy also pledged not
to use earmarks or add unrelated elements to
legislation if elected. Though he acknowledged that
“slipping in” projects or ideas with larger bills has
become an accepted tradition in politics, Duffy said
he won’t continue it if elected.

“As a member of Congress, you can throw up your
arms and say ‘That’s just the way things are,’ or
make a change,” he said.

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