Bush Admits Serious Error on Social Security Phase Out Effort

Robert Novak writes that Bush has told close associates that he should have done Social Security differently. He should have stressed the repair of the safety net for senior as he pushed for personal accounts. As a result of well-opposition and little support this last weekend in town hall meetings a lot of Republicans would like to abandon the effort, but Bush is committed to a basic revision of how Social Security is financed and distributed.

The problem appears to me that too many Americans have caught on that this is an ideologically based effort to phase out Social Security based on lies and distortions much as the Iraq War was. With this general perception along with the organized efforts of the AARP and organized Labor, the Bush initiative isn’t going very far.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R SC) has some revisions that he is pushing but the Democrats led by Senator Harry Reid and Congressman Nancy Pelosi do not appear at all likely to compromise. They are out to defeat Bush, and appear likely to do so.

This will be doubly satisfying, since defeating the Bush phase out effort is not only the correct thing to do, it will also be handing Bush a defeat comparable to the Republican defeat of the Health Care Bill early in President Clinton's term of office. It will also remove Bush's appearance of inevitably getting whatever he wants, so his future efforts will meet with greater resistance.

With luck, Bush is in for a long, miserable and somewhat unsuccessful four year term. The nation will be a lot better off it that is true.

But the Republicans haven't quit yet. Novak does list several Democrats who the Republicans have targeted as likely candidates to do a deal on Social Security, led by Senator Joe Lieberman along with a few others. Considering the overwhelming level of opposition to what Bush has been proposing they would be fools to try a deal. Unfortunately, that does not take Senator Lieberman out of the running.

As it looks right now, Bush will be reduced to trying to get any severely watered-down bill passed this year that has the title “Social Security Reform.” Then he will claim success. Even that isn’t very likely.

Unfortunately, like the monster in a successful horror movie, this issue will be back to terrify the audience as long as the Republicans retain control of both the Presidency and both houses of Congress.