Because of its power to move the electorate, Social Security has long been known as the third rail of American politics (as in, stay away from it). Yet McCain's fundamentalist belief in free markets and deregulation has caused him to repeatedly push for legislation to privatize Social Security. And this is not just a past opinion, its a plank in this year's Republican platform:
Comprehensive reform should include the opportunity to freely choose to create your own personal investment accounts which are distinct from and supplemental to the overall Social Security system.
In light of what's been happening this week, this could be a fatal mistake for McCain and the GOP. Think about all the seniors in Florida (#1 senior state), Pennsylvania (#2), Missouri (#14), Ohio (#15), ... how happy are they going to be with the thought of their retirement security being subject to the vicissitudes of the market?
As evidenced by their new ad (after the jump), the Obama campaign has realized this.
Here's the new Obama ad, titled Social Security:
So what do you think? Is this a fruitful line to pursue?
{UPDATE} Here's a damaging report from ABC News on McCain's fundamentalist belief in free markets:
More MSM stories like this and it's over for McCain, don't you think?