What the ‘nuclear option’ has to do with privatizing Social Security

Far-right Republicans on the Hill are frustrated that Bush isn’t being dictatorial enough when it comes to privatizing Social Security. But don’t worry; they have a plan.

Conservatives in and out of Congress say President Bush has been taking bad advice on Social Security, hurting his chance to win private investment accounts for younger workers.

Mr. Bush has refused to rule out measures that would contradict his campaign promises on Social Security, putting himself in what conservatives say is a weak negotiating position with Democrats….

A senior Republican senator said, “The message coming out of the White House is that we’ll fix Social Security by raising your taxes and cutting your retirement benefits and, to get something passed, we’ll forget about the personal retirement accounts we promised.”

The senator said that is like telling voters, “Never vote for Republicans again — we lie.”

Let’s pause to note what a great “Quote of the Day” that is.

But then there’s the far right’s ridiculous solution to get the whole plan back on track: the “nuclear option.” Seriously.

From the ultra-conservative Washington Times:

The senior Republican senator said privately that the only way to avoid a bad deal on Social Security may be “to pull the trigger on the nuclear option.”

This, he said, would mean changing Senate rules to force an end to Democratic filibusters and a vote on Mr. Bush’s judicial nominees. The Democrats likely would retaliate by filibustering all Republican bills. Republicans then could blame Democrats for blocking Social Security reform.

Could this make any less sense?

Let’s follow the logic here: Republicans should ban filibusters on presidential nominees, which would lead Dems to shut down business in the Senate, which would lead Republicans to go to voters in ’06 blaming Dems for blocking Social Security privatization, which voters don’t like anyway.

I can’t wait to hear the campaign pitch: “Vote Republican … because Dems refused to go along with the Social Security plan everyone hates.”

Keep in mind, the Washington Times has significant access to Republicans on the Hill. This article said the Social Security/nuclear option idea came from a “senior Republican senator.”

If that’s the thinking coming from top GOP senators, this gang is even crazier than I thought.