Retirement scheme losing steam

[kentuck]

Some folks on DU have been reporting this already...
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http://www.suntimes.com/output/orourke/cst-edt-rour061.html

<snip>
Members of the House of Representatives across the country have been holding gatherings in the last two weeks on saving Social Security. What they've heard has not cheered the president. President Bush has been forced to hold more staged, ''town hall'' discussions, hastily flying out to Notre Dame to make his pitch to college-age youth.

<snip>
Rep. Chris Chocola (R-Ind.), a second-term congressman, recently held a number of get-togethers in his northern Indiana district, but often appeared woefully unprepared to answer hard questions and criticisms of the president's privatization plan. Up till now, Chocola, who used family wealth to buy a seat in Congress, has been a rubber stamp for all things Bush, payback for the president's campaign visits during Chocola's 2002 run for the House, which helped him squeak to victory.

At last week's talkathon in South Bend, Chocola looked dumbfounded when it was pointed out to him -- after he claimed there was no money in the Social Security trust fund waiting to be doled out, whereas regular pension funds had ''real cash'' behind them -- that there were no piles of cash waiting for pensioners, either -- or for stockholders, for that matter -- only ''claims,'' pieces of paper, just like Social Security.

But salesmanship has been weak from both the president and other officials of the Bush administration. The White House successfully sold the Iraq war and weapons of mass destruction to the public, but is stumbling badly trying to sell Social Security privatization. That is because, given the tragic tones of the war, with its grand themes of life and death, fear was fomented, and mistakes and exaggerations were -- and remain -- muffled.

....more

[GOPBasher]

1. Yeah, it doesn't look good for Bush right now.

I really don't see private accounts passing. There's very little support in the American public. Then again, why do Republicans have to care about public opinion? After all, the own the voting machines.

[Cary]

3. They modeled their current effort on their campaign

Hey, if you can call Kerry pro-Gay marriage and anti-soldier, you can do it to the AARP too!

IOW, what works against a political opponent might not necessarily work against a well-entrenched institution, I hope.

[livetohike]

2. Arrogance

Bush thinks his mandate is real and that he can do whatever he wants in his next four year term. He should check the demographics info to see how much of the population is over age 55. He should check to see how many senior citizens are alive and vote who lived through the Great Depression.

Many of my friends and relatives (and I am 52) are depending on that Social Security check to see them through their retirement years since they haven't been able to save much on their own. I can only hope that this issue will cause people to wake up and vote accordingly.

[kentuck]

7. Bush doesn't have to worry about demographics...

He's not running again for anything...But the Republicans that he needs behind him are not so lucky.

[livetohike]

8. True

we can only hope for impeachment I guess :-).

[rkc3]

4. It will be interesting to see how well the 60-day/60-city tour goes.

Will it get any coverage if he doesn't run it through the entire 60 days?

[atommom]

5. They may actually have overplayed their hand this time!

The public has accepted many obvious lies from this administration, but their attacks on AARP and SS may be too much even for the faithful.

[zipplewrath]

9. They can't use their divide and conquer techniques

I heard someone opine (G. Will I think) that they needed to "get the 55 year olds out of the debate". They think that if they can assure the 55 year olds that they'll be okay, theb they'll leave teh debate and Bush can talk directly to the kids. What they don't seem to grasp is that 55 year olds have 20 year old kids. They have grand kids. The 55 year olds are gonna be in this debate whether Bush wants them to or not. And there is no way to Swift Boat 'em because you can't drive a wedge between the kids and their parents. Truth is I've got 20 year olds, that aren't my kids, asking me about the President's plans. Kids do consult older folks about issues. They don't always follow the advice, but the older folks are gonna be part of this debate whether Bush wants to or not.

[atommom]

10. Yes, and for once, they're likely to anger everyone involved by trying

their usual "divide and conquer" tactics. I'm hoping that people will begin to wake up now, and see how the administration is trying to drive a wedge between the generations.

[SharonAnn]

11. Plus, we know that if they'll cut below 55, then they'll cut over 55 too.

It's the "camel's nose under the tent flap". first it's the nose, then it's the head, then it's the shoulders, then it's the body.

They've lied about everything else, so they're lying about this too.

[EVDebs]

6. Democrats, united, will never be defeated ! eom