Digby: Republicans Will Accuse Democrats of Destroying Social Security While Doing it Themselves

[marmar]

Hullabaloo, via AlterNet:




Republicans Will Accuse Democrats of Destroying Social Security While Doing it Themselves


In a wide ranging discussion on Fareed Zakaria's show today of various "deals" that are to be made between the President and the Republicans in the next two years, David Frumn let the cat out of the bag:

Frum: As Republicans become the party of the elderly,you reflect the interest of your constituency. The elderly are the greatest beneficiaries of the American social welfare state

Zakaria: Are you saying that Republicans have become ... are the demographics clear?

Frum: If you look back at the middle of 1980's the election of 1988, which is a good baseline. Your not going to remember all these numbers exactly, but the Democrats dominated among over 65s. In this past congressional election, which is a smaller electorate and the presidential one the Republicans dominated among people over 65. Well that has been in the 1980s Republicans were dominant among people under 30 and the Democrats are now dominant among people under 30.

Zakaria: This is fascinating so the Republicans now have their base and their ideology in two different places. The base wants all these benefits for the elderly and their ideology says we have to cut them.

Frum: And that is why, you know, the two worst things about the president's health care plan were that it increases the deficit and number two that restricts Medicare. And you will hear people on the floor of the House say that and, they're not completely irrational because ... I hope the technocratic path you predict is the right one. It really is possible to get 17 wise people in a room with a good flow of hydration and have them work out a technical deal that will put us over a period of years on a path to sustainability and economic growth.

Frum doesn't really explain why they are not completely irrational, but I will: they know that sounding irrational doesn't matter. They know they can easily demagogue "entitlements" one day and be the staunch defenders of Medicare the next because they just won over 60 seats doing just that. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/446944/republicans_will_accuse_democrats_of_destroying_social_security_while_doing_it_themselves/

[liberal N proud]

1. Republicans have always been good at that sort of slight of hand

And the public is dumb enough to fall for it.

[still_one]

2. The public falls for it because the Democrats don't defend it. During the midterm, almost zero

Democrats defended HCR, do I expect them to defend Social Security?