Outfitting the Minority Leaders; Social Security.

This morning I would like to call your attention to the text of the official Democratic reaction to President Bush's Social Security plan. This joint statement was released by Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid yesterday. I must say this is EXACTLY the kind of business-as-usual, limp-wristed crap we desperately need to get the hell away from.

Therefore in our role as, Outfitter to the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, we submit the following draft statement for consideration by the Honorable Representative and Senator.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 17, 2004


Pelosi and Reid: President Wishes To Destroy Social Security, Not Save It.

"The President's 'economic summit' should have been an opportunity to begin an honest discussion about strengthening and improving Social Security. Instead we were treated to a parade of the usual congregates of the administration's economic Amen Corner. Not a single dissenting voice was heard."

"We have been encouraged to hear that the President would like to work on a bipartisan basis. But this is not the way to go about fostering bipartisanism. Democrats look forward to receiving a detailed proposal from the President and are eager to work cooperatively with him to strengthen and improve Social Security."

“Social Security has been a resounding success -- Social Security benefits have been paid on time and in full every single month for almost 70 years. According to Congress' official nonpartisan scorekeeper, the Social Security Trust Fund will be solvent for almost 50 years, and even after that it will continue to pay 80 percent of benefits. Social Security faces real challenges, but is not in crisis. As we work together to address these challenges, the last thing we should do is cut its funding and make the problem worse."

"Let us repeat this again -- for it is of critical importance in the policy discussions to come; the Social Security trust fund is in no danger of going broke. The growing difference between the number of working Americans and retirees will require us to find ways of increasing inflows to the trust fund by 20 percent. That alone will allow Social Security to remain solvent for another 70 years. The Social Security financing system is fundamentally sound and will remain so for generations to come."

"What we have heard from the President and his policy people regarding their
Social Security proposal-in-work should fill all Americans with trepidation. Far from strengthening the Social Security program, this Enronization of Social Security will produce a gaping, multi-trillion dollar hole in a federal budget already stretched to the limit by the Administration's profligate policies. If enacted as currently outlined this Social Security scheme would amount to the old Vietnam era doublespeak strategy of 'we must destroy Social Security in order to save it.'"

“Social Security is the only safe and secure source of retirement income for millions of Americans, and it must be protected. Social Security has lifted the lives of millions of Americans, and it will lift the lives of millions more if we commit to strengthening, not raiding, this incomparable program.”

# # #

We have added the two key things Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid could not bring themselves to say outright. One; the other side is out-and-out lying when they say there is a "Social Security crisis." Two; we call bullshit on the President's plan. I like "the Enron Plan" for Social Security reform, but you can add your own.

The key thing here is to frame the debate in a way that destroys the GOP's "letting you handle your own money" argument. That's false. What they are really proposing is a huge windfall for the money-management industry. We need to make sure the first thing people think of when they think of the Bush Social Security plan is, crooked businessmen who ruined people's retirements.