At varying times over the course of the past few months, Republicans have had different scapegoats to blame for the party’s failure to advance Social Security privatization. The latest to be at the end of a pointed finger? The far-right GOP factions. As luck would have it, I think this criticism has merit.
Some congressional Republicans who have been trying to craft a Social Security reform package say their efforts have been undercut by an unlikely source: conservatives whose top priority is to restructure the program.
As President Bush has struggled to gain traction on Social Security reform, Republicans have repeatedly criticized Democrats for refusing to negotiate on changing the entitlement system.
But some say that Bush should look to his right for scapegoats if Congress does not pass a Social Security bill this year. They blame conservatives for drawing several lines in the sand and refusing to consider compromises.
Conservatives have been outspoken on what should — and should not — be in a Social Security reform measure. Outside groups that are a driving force in the GOP have attacked Republicans for suggesting that raising taxes could be part of reform legislation.
I think this is at least half-right. The intransigent conservatives have effectively announced: “We’re doing Social Security, private accounts are mandatory, and increases to the payroll tax are off the table. Got it? Now let’s negotiate.”
But the reason I hesitate to endorse this entirely is because Bush can’t really blame them — because he’s with them.
Last week, for example, far-right House lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee were livid when National Economic Council Director Al Hubbard told USA Today that the administration would be “willing to discuss” add-on accounts instead of full-blown privatization. Guys like John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.) insisted Bush reverse course.
Fast forward to this week. Does the White House tell these guys to follow the president’s lead? Does Karl Rove order these guys to keep their complaints to themselves? No, Bush welcomes them over to tell them how great they are.
President Bush plans to extend an olive branch to House conservatives today, inviting the leadership of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) to the White House to deliver a letter that outlines their opposition to “add-on” accounts on Social Security reform.
The fence mending with conservatives is a response to last week’s dustup, when one of the president’s point men on Social Security, Al Hubbard, suggested that add-on accounts could be part of a compromise plan.
When congressional Republicans start looking around at their far-right allies, blaming their inflexibility for the party’s mess, they’re right. But they also need to keep looking — right down to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.