|
Contributors
Hugh Hewitt - Principal Contributor
Mr.
Hewitt is senior member of theOneRepublic & CaliforniaRepublic.org
editorial board. [go to Hewitt index]
 Somebody
Tell Republicans The Debate's Started
The
battle for Social Security…
[Hugh Hewitt] 1/10/05
Saturday's
Democratic response to the president's radio address was
given by New York Rep. Charles Rangel. It is a
wonderful example of what's ahead in the social security
debate. Take these two paragraphs for instance:
"But
the facts prove that there is no imminent crisis with Social
Security. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says
Social Security can pay full benefits for nearly 50 years. So,
there is no crisis.. But there is a challenge, because
people are living longer.
"Unfortunately, the President's proposal for privatized accounts makes Social
Security weaker, not stronger. It drains $2 trillion from the trust fund, leading
to drastic cuts in benefits of more than 40 percent." (emphasis
added.)
What
this tells you is that the Dems have decided that the best
path out of the political wilderness is a full-scale assault
on the fears of the American middle class and of course, American
seniors in the context of the debate over social security reform. If
Charles Rangel is actually willing to say on national radio
that President Bush is proposing a 40% cut in benefits, then
it is fair to conclude that the Dems will say anything to gain
political advantage in this debate.
If
you have any doubt about this, visit TalkingPointsMemo,
where for the past week Josh Marshall has devoted just under
two-thirds of his posts to whipping the Dems into line on the
need to demagogue this issue. "The prerequisite
for defending and preserving Social Security is Democratic
unity," Marshall
breathlessly exclaims at one point, and then names names
among the Democrats' " Fainthearted Faction" --those
Dems who might see a small problem in the dwindling number
of workers and rising numbers of retirees. Marshall evidently
has promoted himself to uber-whip, and spends a lot of his
time calling for action against the ten Representatives and
five senators he considers the weak links of the Democrats.
(Note to Democratic Party faithful: Can you afford to exile
five more senators?)
I
suppose it was foolish to think that Democratic partisans would
take the opportunity to work through the issue and try, Moynihan
style, to arrive at some sensible reform package. The
bitterness at national rejection at every level and the ever
more clear prospect of decades in the political wilderness
is sending the Marshalls and the Begalas and the Rangels even
deeper into the pit they dug throughout 2005. Now they have
guessed wrong again.
The
decision to go to war on this issue --made even before the
president's proposal has been laid on the table-- signals to
the GOP that above all the proposal must be kept very easy
to understand and consistently argued from an established baseline
of facts. Anything like the HillaryCare beast of 1993-1994
will doom the prospects for a successful legislative overhaul.
State the facts simply and repeat them frequently. Lay
out the key reforms in ways that no one can fail to understand.
Repeat over and over again that those who are already receiving
benefits will never see their benefits cut,
and that those currently working but over the specified age
will also never see their benefits cut. As the Rangel
message makes clear, the only card the Dems have to play is
fear. That only works if Dems can make large numbers
of middle aged and older feel vulnerable.
Dems
always accuse conservative pundits of reading from RNC talking
points. In the case of social security, the RNC ought to be
distributing talking points, and not just to center-right talkers
and scribblers. Shaping this battlefield means starting
with the facts, and the Dems have already begun an effort to
see that those facts are never admitted into the debate.
If GM's
vice-chair can start a blog devoted to car design and
customer service because an information loop is important
to his business, then the GOP ought to get a blog devoted
to social security reform up and running this week. Either
state the facts, or have them stated for you. tOR
copyright 2005 Hugh Hewitt
§
theOneReublic Principal
Contributor Hugh Hewitt is an author, television commentator
and syndicated talk-show host of the Salem Radio Network's Hugh
Hewitt Show, heard in over 40 markets around the country.
He blogs regularly at HughHewitt.com and
he frequently contributes opinion pieces to the Weekly
Standard.
If It's Not
Close,
They Can't Cheat
by Hugh Hewitt
|
In,
But Not Of
by Hugh Hewitt
|
The
Embarrassed Beliver
by Hugh Hewitt
|
Searching
for God in America
by Hugh Hewitt
|
|
