by John McCormick, updated at 4:19 p.m. Eastern
DES MOINES – Sen. Barack Obama today charged that Sen. Hillary Clinton has dodged tough questions about the future of Social Security, a program of great importance to many Iowa caucus participants.
The attack marked a new, more aggressive approach for Obama, whose supporters have called for him to more directly confront the former first lady.
By going on the offense, Obama (D-Ill.) is seeking to shake up polls that show Clinton (D-N.Y.) with a large lead nationally and also in some early voting states.
As he focused on Social Security, Obama pointed to recent moments where Clinton has been less than straightforward in her responses to how she would alter long-term funding for the massive federal program.
“You might remember that this came up in the last presidential debate,” Obama said at a senior center in Iowa’s capital. “When Senator Clinton was asked about it, she wouldn’t say what she thought needed to be done. The other day, here in Iowa, she skipped another chance to give a direct answer on this.”
He also poked at Clinton by using a phase, “ready to lead,” that she often uses on the campaign trail. “You’re not ready to lead if you can’t tell us where you’re going,” he said.
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Clinton’s campaign responded by charging that Obama is not sticking to one of the central themes of his campaign.
“It’s unfortunate that Senator Obama has abandoned the politics of hope as his campaign has stalled,” her campaign said in a statement. “Maybe he should focus on explaining why a few months ago he said everything was on the table, including raising the retirement age, but today says he opposes it.”
Clinton’s campaign said she has been “clear” on her position on Social Security.
“She will oppose any effort to privatize the program,” her campaign said. “As president her first priority will be restoring fiscal responsibility and fair tax policies, and then will work in a bipartisan process to address Social Security’s long term challenges.”
Obama claimed Clinton is “not alone in ducking the issue” and that “conventional thinking in Washington says that Social Security is the third-rail of American politics, and says you should hedge and dodge and spin, but at all costs, don’t answer.”
The direct challenge of Clinton on the ground in Iowa is almost certain to be followed by paid television ads, reflecting a pattern Obama’s campaign has repeatedly used in recent months.
In trying to present Clinton as vague on important questions, Obama’s campaign also leveraged a recent Associated Press story that captured a private conversation Clinton had with an Iowa voter on the topic after a campaign event.
The AP reported that Clinton told Tod Bowman, an eastern Iowa high school government teacher, that she would consider raising Social Security taxes on high-income earners, after she declined to give specifics on the topic in front of the crowded room and television cameras.
The campaign brought Bowman to an event here, among an audience that was mostly middle-aged rather than seniors, to retell the story and say that he is now backing Obama.
“She gave a lengthy response that didn’t really answer my question,” Bowman said today. “When I asked my question again…this time she gave me a conflicting response. That left me feeling disappointed.”
The AP said Clinton privately told Bowman she didn’t want to put an additional tax burden on the middle class but would consider a “gap,” with no Social Security taxes on income from $97,500 to around $200,000, with income above that amount being taxed.
The government collects money to pay Social Security benefits from taxes on worker earnings of up to $97,500. Some have suggested that raising or eliminating that limit could raise more money to prevent benefit cuts.
Clinton refused to answer whether she would consider raising the cap during a recent debate in Iowa. “I don’t think I should be negotiating about what I would do as president,” she said at the time.