What ALL DEMOCRATS should say RE Social Security!

[UdoKier]

Last night I was watching Tweety. He had on some rabid repug honcho and some wide-eyed inarticulate, soft-spoken democrat (surprise, surprise) talking about various issues and Social Security came up.

(Paraphrased)

REPUG: Your party just complains. You don't even have a plan to "save Social Security"

DEMOCRAT: Well, we, um, Bush's plan is...(drowned out by Tweety's inane comments) um, well... we need to look at the federal deficit...


What the Democrat SHOULD have said: We ARE Trying to Save Social Security - FROM YOU PEOPLE, since your so-called reform is nothing but a gimmick designed to DESTROY SS.

How do you figure the crisis is in SS when SS is in the black and the deficit is soaring? Why isn't THAT a crisis? Where is YOUR plan to fix the DEFICIT CRISIS?




But no, we'll just have to make do with mealy-mouthed helpless dems on TV. Honestly, I can't imagine where they find these people...

[elehhhhna]

1. Saw it. The "Dem Strategist" was very lame, imho.

[xxqqqzme]

2. there has 2 B a list

titled ' limp-ass liberals too afraid to speak if their shadow is visible'.

[spooked911]

4. Seems like! I was thinking they must specifically choose these lame-o's

[EST]

3. Those rat fu***rs will always find and choose

the exact sort to make their points. As long as they have their pulpit, they will pick the supporting cast.

[grahamhgreen]

5. SS is INSURANCE, private accounts are gambling

Keep it simple and repeat it often

[yurbud]

7. I like that one with one modification

SS is just that SECURITY. You can gamble with your other money, and even if you screw the pooch big time, you'll have SS to fall back on.

[yurbud]

6. Why can't dems figure out something as simple as coherent talking points?

The GOP does it, and I took some communications training with my union, and it took about five minutes to get the idea across:

Have a few points, say them plainly, forcefully, and unapologetically.

The problem with the Dems is not that they are stupid, but that they want two things that can't go together: regular middle class people who get that they are being screwed, and the corporations and financial institutions that are screwing them.

It's a little like trying to be the attorney for both sides of divorce case at once, or the prosecutor and defense for a rapist.

"Well, clearly some unwanted sex may have occurred, but he might have been wearing a ski mask because it was cold and mistook her screams for help for ecstatic utterances..."

[TheFarseer]

8. At least they had a dem

Sometimes you see something ridiculous like Rick Santorum vs. Pat Robertson on stem cell research?!?! Come on! If you can't find someone more liberal than a senate republican, you're not trying very hard!

[liberal N proud]

9. That is a good question?

[PST]

10. I saw that too!

I don't understand why democrats are fucking up all the time, it's all so very easy:

REVERSE THE TAX CUTS TO THE SUPER RICH!!!

[bpilgrim]

11. we CREATED it and our trying to SAVE it from the neoCONs WallStreet 'plan'

peace

[Tactical Progressive]

12. That's good rhetoric and accurate too

If Dems would only speak the truth they wouldn't have to concoct some phony message like Republicans have to do with their entire ideology of lies. Dems walk into the lie zone and then try to play by the rules of dishonesty that the Republicans and American 'journalism' have set up. And that's exactly what it is: a set-up.

What you said is exactly right.

[liberal N proud]

13. I posed the question to a repuke just to get his lamo reaction:

Question:
Bush keeps telling us there is a crisis with Social Security and that we must fix it now!
Republicans keep asking were are the Democrats proposals to fix Social Security. (maybe there are no proposals because there is no crisis).

BUT!:
What about the Federal Deficit? That truly is a crisis, soaring ever higher with each breath of a government on a spending binge.
Where is the Republicans plan or for that matter the Presidents plan to fix the Deficit?

Social Security is in the black, the Deficit is just that a deficit. A crisis far greater than Social Security ever will be.

Why do we not see George out running around the country with his selective chats shouting out how he wants to privatize the deficit?

Reply from a repuke:
True enough, the SS crisis isn't now but the future of SS must be dealt with soon because the shear numbers of baby boomers coming in to the system will stagger it. I would still like to see more proposals for SS but, keep in mind, the dems won't want to supply Bush with any good plan while he has 3 years left to take credit for it. Their best political strategy is to continue to oppose his plan until they can come back into power.

The deficit ? That's very tough and complex. My guess is that he is biding his time for the full effect of tax cuts on the economy and for the opportune time to pull back from Iraq. The sooner the Iraqis can provide their own security, the sooner we can cut back on war expense and Iraq's oil can freely flow to pay for their own expenses. All of this will take time to settle down. The bigger problem - not a republican or democratic problem, but an American problem- is how to handle the trade deficit with China and their low-cost labor advantage. In that regard, the whole free world has a problem trying to compete with China's advantages. China's rapid industrialization was going to happen regardless of the trade agreements made by Clinton and both Bush's. That problem (outsourcing and all) began during the elder Bush's and Clinton's terms and has really gained steam during W's presidency. Couple that with the war on terrorism and you get a big deficit problem. Of course, I'm no financial expert but that is my take on the problem. America is at a crossroads where we need to redefine how we run our economy because it appears many jobs will never return unless we are willing to live on wages as low as the Chinese. Frankly, I don't think he has any concrete answers. I don't think anybody does at this point. I think one reason he goes after the SS problem is that he feels he DOES have a plan to keep it afloat so he has something to offer the nation even if it gets rejected. I know you will counter that Clinton had a surplus but the economy was actually going down following the collapse of the dotcoms and then came 9/11. It's tough to point fingers at either Clinton or Bush when talking about the economy or terrorism. I think both things were bigger than either president and both had a hand in where things are at today so it really does no good to blame either. Of course, whoever happens to be in power gets the blame/credit.


Waiting for the full effects of the TAX CUTS!