The first presidential debate is scheduled for today, September 26. It is estimated that there could be as many as 100 million people tuning into tonight’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, which would make it the most watched debate of all time.
There are likely to be some fireworks tonight, but it is debatable as to whether anything that happens in a debate really influences voters one way or another. There are certain issues, mainly Social Security, which can influence voters, which the Democratic Party should take full advantage of.
A new public policy polling survey that focuses on five key Senate battleground states show that voters are concerned about what may happen to Social Security benefits if the Republican Party takes control of the White House and Congress. According to this survey, 69 percent of all voters say they are concerned about potential republican changes to Social Security and by a 33-point margin they say they’re less likely to vote for the Republican Party at the voting booth. Voters in the states of Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin participated in the survey. Some of the highlighted responses to the polling included:
- That 68 percent were apposed and only 20 percent were in favor of privatizing Social Security, and by a 48-point difference, voters a less likely to vote for a candidate who supported either fully or partially privatizing Social Security.
- Republican candidates have said they would be in favor of cutting some Social Security benefits, but only 5 percent of voters support this while a whopping 88 percent of voters oppose this.
- Increasing the retirement age is also something the Republican Party has suggested, but only 28 percent of voters support this compared to 62 percent of voters who oppose this.
Social Security is a winning issue for the Democratic Party and candidates this fall, including Mrs. Clinton, should be talking more about Social Security in debates and on the campaign trial.
