When the White House announced shortly after last year’s election that privatizing Social Security would be the president’s top domestic priority, Bush aides really weren’t kidding.
“[White House spokesman Trent] Duffy asserted that the vast spending that would be required to address the hurricane’s impact adds to the need to change Social Security, which threatens to strain the budget in coming years.”
Have we really strayed this far from reality? Have facts, circumstances, and a sense of shame abandoned the Bush gang to the extent that Trent Duffy believes a $2-trillion privatization scheme that no one wants is more necessary in light of the Katrina disaster?
For what it’s worth, the Bush gang may see some inexplicable connection between the devastation and privatizing Social Security, but Republicans in Congress are pretty much done with the whole idea.
With two Supreme Court vacancies and a massive hurricane-relief effort dominating the agenda now, senators said they don’t think they will act on Social Security legislation this year, which would be the final blow to President Bush’s signature domestic issue.
The Senate was already having major problems agreeing to a Social Security proposal — even Republicans couldn’t agree on whether a bill should include the Social Security private accounts Mr. Bush has pushed for. With recent events, members on both sides of the aisle said chances of action are even more unlikely.
“It’s off the radar,” said Sen. Gordon H. Smith, Oregon Republican, adding that hurricane relief is much more important now, and Social Security is an issue “we’ll eventually deal with” down the line, though not likely this year.
“Social Security? I think not much is going to happen there this year,” agreed Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican.
Looks like Bush is going to need a new signature domestic policy initiative. Where’s that Mars plan we were hearing about last year? Or maybe some kind of new anti-steroid policy?