Florida Democrat Trusts Neither GOP Frontunner On Social Security

One day before Republican Presidential candidates return to Florida for the second debate in the state, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) told reporters that he doesn’t believe either of the GOP frontrunners will protect social security.

Deutch pointed toTexas Governor Rick Perry’s description of the entitlement program as a ponzi scheme, a common complaint from Democrats, and added that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s attempts to characterize himself as social security’s defender also fall flat.

“[Romney’s] privatization plans would turn … the American citizens’ money over to the stock market,” Deutch said during a conference call. “Imagine if retirement security depended on what has happened in the stock market over the last few months and years.”

The Florida Democrat added that neither candidate came to the table with agendas that would appeal to latino voters, a key constituency in Florida. Deutch explained that not only would both candidates stances on social security appeal to Latino seniors, nearly half of whom rely on the program as their sole source on income, but that Perry and Romney both declined to support the DREAM Act, which would have granted citizenship to immigrants who joined the armed services or succeeded in college.