U.S. Senate candidate Ernst counters attack ads in Waterloo stop

WATERLOO - In a campaign appearance in her opponent's home community, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst welcomed the opportunity to not only distinguish herself from him but also address the caricature of her being painted in certain television advertisements.

Ernst told the crowd of seniors gathered for a round-table at Friendship Village retirement community that she is interested in preserving both Social Security and Medicare for today's seniors but also for future generations.

'The difference you will see between my opponent and myself is that I recognize that there is a problem, and we need to discuss solutions,” Ernst said, pointing to Democratic candidate U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley and inaction on Social Security. 'We have opposition that, they don't want to acknowledge that there is a problem, because he's been serving in Congress for eight years and hasn't addressed this problem.”

Braley, a Waterloo attorney, was first elected to Congress in 2006.

Ernst, an Iowa National Guard officer and state senator from Red Oak in southwest Iowa, said her comments on privatization of the federal retirement benefit program have been characterized as an endorsement of that option. She told seniors on Tuesday that she has said that it is an option worthy of discussion, but not one she specifically endorses.

The Braley campaign challenged Ernst's consistency on the issues, saying her past statements point to privatizing Social Security as an option and providing health insurance vouchers to seniors in place of Medicare.

'Joni Ernst is telling Iowa seniors she's on their side, but when you take a closer look, it's crystal clear that Ernst is hiding her risky plans to end guaranteed Social Security and Medicare benefits, which would raise costs by thousands of dollars for Iowa retirees and risk Iowans' retirement on Wall Street,” said Jan Laue, president of the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, which endorsed Braley.

The Social Security Administration currently projects benefits will be able to continue as is until 2037, when it would be able to pay 76 percent of scheduled benefits unless Congress acts.

Ernst told the seniors that she is interested in discussing issues and working toward a solution on all issues, including preserving Social Security and Medicare, while not expressing support or opposition for most specifics.

'What we're lacking in the U.S. Senate right now, especially with the majority party, so many wonderful ideas, suggestions, thoughts, they go away. It's like a black hole,” Ernst said. 'What we need is leadership and somebody that is willing to acknowledge we have issues, issues that are important to Iowans and then raise those issues in the U.S. Senate. I am happy to do that.”

She said after the 30-minute round-table event she would not at this time endorse any particular option for ensuring that Social Security and its disability trust fund remain solvent.

She told one attendee that while raising the retirement age is an option, it's not one she wants to do.

Ernst criticized Braley as 'the only candidate in this race who has cut Medicare,” when asked about preserving the federal health insurance program for seniors. She said it has to be preserved and suggested better addressing waste, fraud and abuse to improve the program.

'I think really following up on the fraud, waste and abuse - that is a huge chunk of money that's going to those unscrupulous people, and we need to protect that for seniors,” Ernst said.

The Republican Party of Iowa also challenged Braley on Tuesday for his support of the Affordable Care Act, which included $716 billion in Medicare cuts. Though those cuts are not targeted at benefits, the RPI said they would cost each enrollee about $1,000 per year.

'Bruce Braley's Obamacare cuts over $10,000 from every Iowa senior enrolled in Medicare,” RPI Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said, using a 10-year figure. 'After ransacking $716 billion from Medicare for Obamacare, why would seniors ever trust Bruce Braley?”

The Braley campaign provided numerous articles from the past two years that 'fact-check” and refute the claim that the $716 billion includes cuts to benefits. That includes the fact that the federal health care reform known as Obamacare extends the financial stability for Medicare and that a prominent Republican proposal includes the same 'cuts.”