Reply #9: Bush is keeping the details of his plan secret to prevent criticism and to

[snippy]

set a trap for democrats. One of Karl Rove's most fundamental tactics is to trick his opponents into talking about what he wants them to talk about when he wants them to talk about it. As long as the democrats are preparing a strategy for opposing Bush's plan when he finally reveals it, then I think the democrats are being smart by not saying much about the plan until they see it.

No one can express an intelligent opinion on Bush's plan since it is still a secret plan. Any one who praises it or criticizes it now is only guessing about what the plan will be. If democrats start criticizing the plan without knowing anything about the plan it will be extremely easy for the republicans to very effectively paint the democrats as just being complainers and obstructionists, especially if democrats were to criticize aspects of the plan which end up not being proposed by Bush. This is one aspect of the trap. Another is that if democrats were to start now saying where they will draw the line on changes to Social Security then republicans will know in advance how far they can go. Bush will be able to say that he has addressed the concerns of democrats in his plan and they therefore should support the plan.

One thing the democrats should be doing now is put pressure on Bush by referring to "Bush's secret plan" and asking why "he is keeping the details hidden from the public" even though "the public has a right to know what Bush intends to do to the safety net of Social Security." So far Bush has talked as though his plan will make everyone wealthier and not cause anyone any harm. By emphasizing that Bush is keeping the actual details of the plan secret democrats can challenge that perception and cause the public to start wondering just exactly what Bush is up to.