NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
For Immediate Release: Feb. 3, 2010
Is Candidate McCollum Prepared To Keep Standing By Congressman McCollum’s Record All The Way To November?
Questions have arisen over Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Congressman Bill McCollum’s recent claim to stand by his record in Washington with the exception of two votes: a vote to raise taxes and his opposition to observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (AP Editors Meeting, 01/27/10)

Does Candidate McCollum really stand by Congressman McCollum’s votes to increase the national debt at least 11 times?

Does he stand by votes to undo regulations over the banking and financial industries to protect consumers? Would he vote against funding the commission to promote Martin Luther King Day in 1989?

Does Candidate McCollum really stand by Congressman McCollum’s votes to dismantle social security and Medicare?

With Republican leaders in the U.S. House reviving controversial proposals to privatize Social Security and Medicare, Candidate Bill McCollum is under pressure to restate his position on privatization-a cause he once championed as a member of Congress. One week ago today, Candidate McCollum insisted on sticking by the record of Congressman McCollum, leaving questions on the table.
“Does Candidate McCollum stick by his statement that he is proud of Congressman McCollum’s actions, including his repeated efforts to privatize Social Security and Medicare – especially given the recent plunge in the markets?” asked Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party spokesman.  “Is candidate McCollum really prepared to defend the Washington record of Congressman McCollum from now until November? Can he afford to?”
CANDIDATE MCCOLLUM’S WORDS
“I can tell you that I’m proud of my record and having been a congressman and nothing especially that I regret about my service in terms of what you may find there.  There have been any number of votes that I have taken that I look back, one or two here or there, that I would do differently if I could do it again, but overall I don’t regret the things I’ve done.  The Martin Luther King holiday, as I said last week, I respect and admire Martin Luther King, always have, wasn’t against celebrating his birthday.  At the time I naively, I think that’s the proper word looked at the budget impact of creating another paid federal holiday for federal employees when the alternative of eliminating a Columbus Day or Washington’s Birthday instead, substituting it wasn’t really on the table.  I think the honoring of Dr King is very important and we’re doing that now so, yea if I could go back with the experience I have today I would have voted for that Holiday.  I think I voted for the Reagan tax increase he proposed one year.  I never did that again.  I thought that was a mistake looking back on it.” – Bill McCollum, AP Forum, 1/27/10
Click here to watch Candidate McCollum doggedly defend Congressman McCollum’s record: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqkerPntSTo
CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM VOTED TO DISMANTLE SOCIAL SECURITY  
McCollum Voted To Cut Social Security By $23 Billion. In 1995, McCollum voted for the FY 1996 Republican Budget Resolution which would have reduced the rate of growth in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  The CPI is used to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment in federal programs – including Social Security.  This reduction in the CPI and the resulting cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security would have had the effect of cutting Social Security by nearly $23 billion over seven years. (Vote 345, 5/18/95; House Action Report 104-2, 5/16/95)  
McCollum Voted Seven Times Against Securing Social Security Before Spending Surpluses. In the late 1990’s, when both the federal budget and Social Security were running surpluses, McCollum voted seven times against using those surpluses to secure Social Security.  McCollum’s votes included a May 1999 vote against the Democratic version of the Social Security and Medicare Safe Deposit Box Act of 1999 that would have reserved all federal budget surpluses until Medicare and Social Security were made solvent. In September 1998, McCollum voted against bill that would have transferred the Social Security Surplus to the Federal Reserve, to be held in trust to ensure Social Security’s solvency. (Vote 484, 10/6/99; Vote 378, 8/5/99; Vote 163, 5/26/99; Vote 76, 3/25/99; Vote 4, 1/6/99; Vote 463, 9/25/98; Vote 115, 4/29/98)  
McCollum Voted For $80 Billion In Tax Cuts By Using The Social Security Surplus.  In 1998, McCollum voted to cut taxes by $80.1 billion financed by the social security surplus. The tax cut was over five years, including $6.6 billion in cuts in fiscal 1999, and extended expired provisions such as the research tax credit, reducing taxes for farmers and married couples and making health insurance premiums 100 percent deductible for the self-employed.  (CQ; Vote 469, 9/26/98)
CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM VOTED TO DISMANTLE MEDICARE  
McCollum Was One of Only 89 House Members Who Voted to Cut Medicare by $25.2 Billion Over Five Years in 1991. In 1991 McCollum voted for a Gradison substitute amendment to Fiscal 1992 Budget Resolution that included Medicare cuts of $25.2 billion over five years.  (HConRes121, Roll Call Vote 70, 4/17/91; Rejected 89-335)  
McCollum Was One of Only 60 House Members Who Voted to Cut $138.5 Billion From Medicare, Medicaid Over Five Years in 1992.  In 1992 McCollum was one of only 60 members of the United States House of Representatives to vote for a Dannemeyer substitute amendment to the Fiscal Year 1993 Budget Resolution that included $138.4 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs over five years.  (HConRes287, Roll Call Vote 38, 3/4/92; Rejected 60-344)  
1995-1997: McCollum Voted Against Medicare Funding 15 Times. Between 1995-1997, McCollum has voted at least 15 times either for proposals to cut Medicare funding or against proposals to increase Medicare funding at a total of $870 billion.  McCollum’s votes include his eight votes in 1995 for a $270 million cut in Medicare that would have been the largest in history. (CQ; Vote 345, 7/30/97;  Vote 241, 6/25/97; Vote 236, 6/12/96; Vote 345, 5/18/95; Vote 820, 11/20/95; Vote 812, 11/17/95; Vote 801, 11/15/95; Vote 743, 10/26/95; Vote 731, 10/19/95; Vote 727, 10/19/95; Vote 726, 10/19/95; Vote 458, 6/29/95; Vote 344, 5/18/95; Vote 343, 5/18/95; Vote 342, 5/18/95)  
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