Ya gotta admit, one thing the Republicans are great at is marketing, and marketing is all about framing and simplicity. How far is President Empty Suit gotten by insisting that handing never-worked-a-day-in-their-lives trust-fund babies need colossal tax breaks, because he's "empowering job-creating small business owners"? Getting rid of environmental controls is called the "Clear Skies Initiative." Etc etc. ad(vertising) nauseum.
Here's a powerful meme/message for Democrats on Social Security. It's short. It's powerful. And it's true. The President's plan is his "NOTHING FOR SOMETHING" plan.
Think about it. Back in 1983, President Ronald Reagan and Alan "Hacktacular" Greenspan pushed through a big increase in Social Security taxes. Why? So Social Security for Boomers would be assured. We've been paying this increased Republican tax for 21 years.
Along comes President Bush with an offer - pay the same amount in taxes, have your benefits reduced up to 30%. It's classic "nothing for something."
Every Democratic Senator and Congressman should be using the phrase "Nothing For Something" to describe what Bush is doing. When the Republicans claim that the Democrats don't have a proposal, they should say they believe in President Reagan. Taxpayers have been paying the Reagan Social Security Surcharge for 21 years - this will take care of the problem. What about the numbers? They're President Bush's numbers. This is the man who hallucinated weapons of mass destruction. His numbers predicted that his tax cuts would produce small, temporary" deficits.
The man has NO CREDIBILITY with swing voters. He's offering nothing for something. We got taken on the tax cuts. We got taken on Iraq. Are we going to let this man take us a third time? I say we fight back. The Middle Class should get what they've been paying for.