Dennis Kucinich Slams Barack Obama on Social Security

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio took aim at fellow Democrat President Barack Obama on Thursday.

President Obama has -- against all promises -- just put Social Security cuts on the table, noted Kucinich who ran against Obama for his partys presidential nomination back in 2008. This is not a compromise. It's caving to the corporate special interests who want to keep their handouts while dismantling Social Security. We need to stand up and tell President Obama that Social Security is not a political pawn -- it's a lifeline for millions of seniors.

Kucinich has launched a petition against Obama for looking to cut Social Security.

The most unbelievable part of this debate, is that Social Security has nothing -- zip, zilch, nada -- to do with the current deficit. The program can pay 100 percent of its benefits through 2037 without any changes. It has a $2.6 trillion surplus, added Kucinich. So why the proposed cuts? The more money that can be built into Social Security's cash flow surplus, the more money the government can borrow from the surplus to use for tax cuts, spending, or reducing the deficit. We cannot accept this. Money paid into Social Security isn't the government's money to play with. They're the benefits that our seniors paid for and depend on. Social Security must be protected.

President Obama's turn on Social Security cuts is wrong for many reasons. It's leading some Americans to incorrectly believe that Social Security is to blame for the debt crisis. It's unjust to threaten the benefits that millions of Americans depend on, concluded Kucinich. Social Security is the cornerstone of social and economic justice in America. This is our time to stand up and speak out.

With the Ohio congressman possibly losing his seat due to redistricting, there has been talk about Kucinich running for the Democratic presidential nomination for the third time. While Kucinich has played down that talk, this attack on Obama will only increase that buzz.