I have moved my comments to Jeffrey Feldman's excellent Diary on Social Security framing, which he posted at almost the same time, and which is a better platform.
Any Democrat worth his salt can't wait for this fight on Social Security. We are going to make the GOP rue the day they decided to try to phase out Social Security.
This fight isn't going to be about 'how to save' Social Security or 'how to reform it' it. This fight is to prevent the GOP from phasing the program out. That's their plan, and we must prevent it. The way to save Social Security is not to let the GOP touch it.
Here from DailyKos, we need to put the call out to every corner of our party, to bring every resource to bear NOW, and stuff their scheme to destroy Social Security back down their throats. With a strong enough campaign, we can make their plans impossible.
Spread the word. THEY ARE LYING about the health of Social Security. Social Security is not in trouble. Social Security has ALL of the resources it needs until AT LEAST 2042. And if the economy over the next 50 years is going to be as good as the GOP claims in selling their privitization schemes, the result is that Social Security has the resources it needs far beyond 2042. The biggest danger to Social Security isn't in the future. The biggest danger to Social Security is today's Republican Party.
People may claim that some kind of crisis will begin in 2018. What they are talking about is when Social Security will begin to need to use its Trust Fund. Repeat after me. The problem that begins in 2018 is a General Fund problem. It doesn't have anything to do with Social Security, and anyone who says it is a Social Security problem is trying to steal trillions of dollars saved by working people by declaring their treasury bonds invalid.
Social Security is GUARANTEED retirement and disability insurance. It's worth more than any finite equity. If you live to be 110, you will not run out of Social Security, though your 401K may be long gone. On the other hand, if you become disabled at 40, though your 401K is just starting to build, Social Security will be there for your family.
The Democratic party is going to prevent the GOP from phasing out Social Security. We are going to have 100% party unity. Furthermore, any moderate Republican in a Democratic district, who votes to phase out Social Security, should never win another election. There is no debate. There is no discussion. Social Security is not in trouble, and the GOP should stop lying about it. That's the frame.
If we start raising money, advertising, writing letters, and organizing today, we CAN reject this, and we WILL.