The Bush plan seems to be uniting the party in ways that it hasn't been in a long time. Both Liberals & Centrists are coming together to say no to the Bush Plan on Social Security. Ryan Lizza has the news in
THE NEW REPUBLIC...
...Over in the House, many have been eyeing Adam Smith, the leader of the New Democrat Coalition, which has 67 members in the House. But, in an interview with The New Republic, Smith for the first time ruled out support for any proposal that includes private accounts funded through a carve-out of the Social Security payroll tax. "Social Security is a safety net. That's what it's there for. It's there to be the safest portion of your portfolio," he told me. "It's a guaranteed benefit for a reason, and, for that reason, I don't support private accounts." Smith doesn't speak for every moderate Democrat, but, he added, "I think there is broad consensus among New Democrats that you must not privatize the system". Smith's announcement is just one sign that the Democrats are learning how to be a true opposition party...
The article goes on to state that
Senator Harry Reid seems to have been better at keeping his members in line...
...There are still several Democratic senators, such as Tom Carper and Joe Lieberman, who have been cagey about their intentions, but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has thus far been more successful in enforcing discipline among his shrunken caucus than his predecessor, Tom Daschle. For instance, Reid has warned Senator Max Baucus, Bush's favorite Democratic deal-maker and the ranking minority member on the Senate Finance Committee, a crucial node in the coming debate, against cooperating with Bush...
The most interesting aspect of the article is the news that
Democratic Strategists are studying the defeat of
Universal Health Care in 1993-94 for tips. The article goes on to take tips from David Broder's book
THE SYSTEM in order to show how the Democrat's must organize to become a true opposition...
...Where are Democrats looking for inspiration about how to stop Bush's plan? Several party strategists are studying the Republicans' drive to kill the Clinton health care bill in 1993 and 1994. "The analogues are clearly there," says a senior Democrat organizing opposition to the plan. "And, just like military tacticians often study the last war, politicians think that way, too. They were very successful, and, in 1993, the environment was more conducive to pass health care than it is now for Social Security"...
...There are important differences between 1993 and 2004, but here's what Democrats may learn from that debate...
- Parliamentary procedure is destiny...
- Delay equals defeat...
- Being in the opposition means opposing...
- It's not just about Social Security...