This is how it works (Digby on Social Security "debate")

[chill_wind]

About so-called liberal media taking up the Perry/RW "ponzi scheme" talk bait for debate...

This is how it works
by David Atkins ("thereisnospoon")

(...)

It doesn't really matter what sort of he said-she said tripe fills the "debate." What matters is the mere fact that we're having a "debate" on whether social security, the most successful government program in history, a program that is nowhere close to going belly up in the near future, a program that even if payroll taxes fell short of covering it could easily be funded directly just as our overseas military adventures are, is somehow a "ponzi scheme."

According to the centrism fetishists in the Democratic Party, Rick Perry's embrace of anti-Social Security talking points should doom his candidacy and marginalize his supporters, leaving the field clear for Democrats to seize the day. In reality...well, in reality in may do just that, or it may not. But who cares? Either way Rick Perry wins.

(snip)

Perry and friends play this game because it works--whether they win elections or not. Because for them, winning the election isn't the key to success; winning the policy battle is. And they don't need to necessarily win the election to do that.

There are only two ways out of this mess; the first is to change the media so that they no longer fall for this Overton Window game. That is highly unlikely.

The second is to push the envelope just as hard in a progressive direction as the GOP pulls it in a conservative direction, and acknowledge the reality that the nation is in a political civil war. But in order to do that, progressives would need to rout out and disempower the centrism fetishists who continue to infect its ranks and negatively influence its decision making and endorsement processes.

more: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com

[chill_wind]

1. Here's the referenced "Room for Debate" NYT link

Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/09/09/is-social-security-a-ponzi-scheme

[tomg]

3. I love that "room for debate" nonsense.

As in "you might have a small cavity. We can have a dentist look at it or we can take sledge hammer to your head." in this case, they have 4 folks (Lind, Pierson,
Reich, Ghilarducci) acting like dentists and saying - no cavity, but cut back on sugar and floss and you'll be fine - and 1 person ( the ever-amusing and utterly insane Ponnuru) saying " let's go with candy and a sledge hammer.

Why do we allow this. There are not two equally legitimate sides - and hence, the solution is somewhere in the middle and we need to compromise. No, the solution is not to dental floss and then use, say a claw hammer on just your jaw as a "bipartisan compromise."

Incidentally, thanks for the link. The four rational human beings were really good and Ponnuru is always good for a laugh.

[tularetom]

2. "Centrism fetishists" - truer words were never written

Big K & R for this one.

[Enthusiast]

4. Me too!