Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Socially Secure

Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Just about a week ago George W. Bush met privately with Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey to discuss Social Security reform.

Senator Kerrey - a Democrat - is a proponent of allowing individuals to have some sway over how their Social Security funds are invested.

The other day George W. Bush announced the outlines of a Social Security plan which includes allowing people to have some sway over how their funds are invested.

Al "I-Invented-The-Six-Weeks-Without-A-Campaign-Campaign" Gore responded in a Washington Post interview reported by Dan Balz and Terry Neal who wrote he: "sharply challenged � Bush's support for the partial privatization of Social Security, calling it a 'survival of the fittest' proposal and 'an ideologically driven scheme that is bad for families and bad for the economy.'"

Don't you just love how Gore throws the word "scheme" at any plan he doesn't like? He's probably kicking himself for not tossing in the word "risky."

According to the Post article Gore said the Bush-Kerrey plan would "jeopardize the long-term financial solvency of the Social Security trust fund, put the retirement income of American workers at risk."

So, there it is. Let's remember how Gore attacked Bill Bradley's (is Bradley still living in the United States?) Medicare reform plan: By accusing Bradley of wanting to do away with Medicare. How long do we think it will take Gore to claim that George W. wants to do away with Social Security? About until this weekend, would be my guess.

But here's the difference.

-- First, Bush has proven he is no Bill Bradley and will not allow Gore
   to re-define his positions.
-- Second, Bush went to, and met with, Kerrey before he announced
   the direction he wants to go. That visit was on the heels of Bush's
   appearance in Ohio with four Democratic present and former
   Members of the Texas legislature.
-- Third, Gore is making a huge strategic error in thinking it is the Social
   Security program or education reform which will be centerpieces of
   the Bush campaign. Bush is using big issues like Social Security
   and education to show he is willing to reach out to independents and
   Democrats to arrive at solutions. That is a very, very powerful
   message.

Several months ago I found myself on the subway between the U.S. Capitol and the Senate Office Buildings with Senator Kerrey. In the brief ride, Kerrey said approximately the following as regards senior citizens and Social Security: "They lived through the depression and they won World War II. Senior Citizens are not going to be frightened into thinking anyone wants to do away with their retirement security."

So, Fourth; Gore, with a powerful antagonist on the Social Security front - Senator Bob Kerrey - has succeeded in carving away another segment of his own Democratic base.

This has been the Roamin' Spring of Al Gore.

Jonathon Alter made an excellent point on Don Imus' program yesterday morning when he suggested that the Department of Justice, despite its zeal to punish Microsoft, never clearly showed any serious damage had been done to consumers. However, the Justice Department seems to have no problem with the Time-Warner-CNN-AOL merger in spite of the fact that Time-Warner's cable division is locked up in a fight with Disney-ABC-ESPN over broadcast fees.

Time-Warner refused to carry ABC programming in many major markets for a day. This did no damage to Time-Warner-CNN-AOL. It might have done some harm to Disney-ABC-ESPN. It was the consumer who, as the pawn in this chess game, was too easily sacrificed and tossed off the board.

Microsoft has been proclaimed as the Great Satan of the cyber-world by the DoJ's Anti-Trust Division. Where is Joel Klein's well-developed sense of moral outrage when consumers are truly being harmed by the astounding accretion of power in the media?

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Copyright © 2000 Richard A. Galen

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