[editor's note, by btyarbro]: Retitled, by kismet (see comments below)
With Katrina barreling up through the Mississippi Delta, there's another "big blow" taking shape on radar screens focused toward Capital Hill. And yet another example of governance by stealth: when you can't win, steal what you really want and proclaim it a victory.
Perhaps you thought Congressional leaders were too preoccupied with the various Republican scandals, or with protests to ignore, or with evangelical leaders running for cover. Maybe you thought Republicans were safely off at various August fundraisers, vacation spots, and other insulated bubble stops along the perpetual campaign trail, right?
Never underestimate the power of stealth governance. Remember the "night of the long gavels" to pass the Medicare prescription bill?
Follow along . . .
(Frontpaged at PoliticalStrategy)
Most people are all too aware of this standard Rovian operating procedure, carried out by henchmen like DeLay, Hastert, and Frist: "Look, over there. . . ." Then, it's too late. Trouble is, awareness alone isn't an effective defense. You have to mount an effective offense.
So, once more, into the breach . . . of privatization.
That's right. Behind the scenes, some Republicans have continued their assault on Social Security while safely out of view and off most radar screens. Come September 6, expect to see some bigger blips resulting from Rep. Bill Thomas's labors, if he has his way. (If you've forgotten, Thomas is Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee who has tried more than once to take a big whack at Social Security and other guaranteed benefit programs.)
By the time many Americans return from cleaning up after Katrina's damage, or reporting back to work after baseball and hot dogs, private accounts may be another new reality.
Rumors have been swirling ever since the rather public smackdown of the privatization scheme. But, as you also remember, Bush promised he wasn't "going away" on this issue (or any other failed policy coup). At least not until he can claim "victory."
Today's DMN carries a gentle reminder. Carl Leubsdorf, who has been following this issue for some time, has the lede:
Congressional Republicans, persisting in hopes of enacting some form of private Social Security option despite opposition from the public and the Democrats, are considering the same kind of maneuver that enabled them to pass a controversial Medicare drug bill two years ago.
Snip>
And Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and one of his party's canniest operatives, said without giving details that his panel would introduce a retirement security bill in September.
Oh, yeah. Remember what Rove promised just before Congress went into recess?
Mr. Rove, speaking to college students and lobbyists before Congress went on its current recess, said the House would act next month and the Senate soon after, according to the congressional newspaper The Hill.
Trouble is, unless the Democrats can launch their own pre-emptive strike against this stealth legislation, they may find themselves on the losing end, despite public opinion against privatization, successful counter-attacks, factual evidence, and weak Republican support.
Some House Republicans, including Rep. Sam Johnson of Plano, would use Social Security's current surpluses for private accounts, rather than to curb the overall budget deficit. But that not only would fail to address the system's solvency, it also is likely to make the budget situation worse.
If there's one thing most people have learned while watching the antics
of this Administration, it's this: governance by stealth is not democracy.
While Bush is out busily praising Iraq's "heroic efforts" to craft a Constitution as a "tribute to democracy," while excluding the rights of women and the Sunnis, he would do well to remember that he's taught them a thing or two about the political process.