Romney Campaign Says Perry Is Backpedaling On Social Security

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) holds a copy of his book
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Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is attacking Rick Perry for what it says is his hasty retreat on Social Security ahead of tonight’s debate in Tampa, Florida.

Team Romney points to Perry’s USA Today op-ed from this morning, where the Texas governor makes a lot of noise about saving Social Security for the future but doesn’t mention the phrases “monstrous lie” or “Ponzi Scheme.”

That’s a backpedal, Romney’s campaign says.

“Rick’s Latest Retreat On Social Security,” reads a new screaming press release headline from the Romney shop.

In his op-ed, Perry writes that he’s trying to save Social Security with all his talk of Ponzi schemes, not eliminate it as his opponents charge (and an even cursory reading of his book, Fed Up! might suggest.)

The Romney folks say that’s a flip-flop and point to this oft-cited clip from MSNBC in 2010 where Perry advocates letting the states handle Social Security to prove it.

Here’s TPM’s version of the clip, pulled waaay back in November, 2010. There’s a bonus retro shoutout to today’s high-profile Perry endorser, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) included:

In the clip, Perry says this: “Why is the federal government even in the pension program or the health care delivery program? Let the states do it. … That, I will suggest to you, is one of the ways this federal government can get out of our business, save a lot of money and get back to that constitutional way of doing business in those enumerated powers that they’re supposed to have.”

In the op-ed he says no such thing. And the Romney camp says that’s a sign he’s backing away from the third rail just a few days after he grabbed a hold of it with both hands at the last debate.

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