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Jewish World Review May 4, 2005 / 25 Nisan, 5765 Social Security: Going for Kill in '06 By Joe Scarborough
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I'm slow but not stupid.
Watching continuing coverage of the Social Security debate, I kept coming back to the same question: What is Karl Rove doing?
Rove is the smartest political operator to run a White House in years. Unlike prior administrations, the Bush White House possesses ruthless efficiency and is driven by cold political realities.
And if I know Congress will never pass means testing for Social Security, why is Rove allowing the President to push this political poison pill?
Simple.
He is setting Democrats up for the kill in 2006.
Rove and Bush know their vision of reform was dead on arrival.
Now it's time to clean up the carcass.
Instead of letting Democrats paint the program as a plan to punish workers while rewarding Wall Street next year, the White House has targeted the rich for sacrifice.
Bush proposes saving Social Security on the backs of the wealthy. He knows neither Republicans nor Democrats will touch it.
It costs him nothing.
And next fall, when Democratic leaders like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi try to attack the President and his allies for their failed Social Security plan, class warfare will be off the table.
That's because George Bush played that card at his press conference last week.
It took me a few days to decode the White House strategy.
The funny thing is it will take Harry Reid two years.
Game, set, and match once again to Karl Rove.
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Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) hosts “Scarborough Country,” 10 p.m. ET, weeknights on MSNBC. He is the author of the recently published "Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Day : The Real Deal on How Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)Comment by clicking here. © 2005, MSNBC |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
