We talked yesterday about how congressional Dems have faced some criticism for not unveiling their own Social Security plan, but let’s not forget, despite the national debate, the White House hasn’t either.
The White House has told lawmakers it has no immediate plans to submit its own detailed proposal to Congress for overhauling Social Security, sources briefed by the administration said on Tuesday.
[…]
Republican and Democratic congressional aides said the White House made clear in briefings this week it would not submit a legislative proposal, at least not for the time being.
The nation has been getting bits and pieces of the Bush plan, by way of inarticulate presidential speeches and anonymous media briefings, but the bottom line remains the same: the White House doesn’t even have a detailed plan on the table.
I realize the thinking behind the strategy (at least, the current strategy) — if the White House unveils a detailed proposal, like Clinton did with health-care reform, it creates an in-writing target for criticism. Bush prefers to just tell us what he wants to do and why, while his aides offer details about how the president’s plan would work, but the whole gang defends themselves against attacks by saying, “There is no plan.”
It’s been a bizarre spectacle to see how confused the White House is about this. First, Bush said he doesn’t have a Social Security plan of his own, and he may never come up with one. Asked in late December how his scheme might work, Bush said, “I don’t get to write the law.” Asked about his priorities, Bush said, “[T]he law will be written in the halls of Congress.” Asked for any semblance of detail, Bush said, “Well, again, I will repeat. Don’t bother to ask me.”
A week later, Bush sounded as if he’d reversed course completely.
President Bush promised to offer an ambitious plan for overhauling Social Security soon, pledging to “provide the political cover” for nervous lawmakers and warning opponents they are “taking a risk politically” by resisting change.
“I have an obligation to lead on this issue,” Mr. Bush said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
So, for those keeping score at home, Bush said he won’t take the lead on offering up a plan, followed by word that he would, which then turned back this week into the original line that he won’t.
Remind me again why Dems should be criticized for not unveiling a proposal?