Note to self: encourage GOP to push privatization

Noam Scheiber has a nice entry in his TNR blog. It's too early to start counting out GOP congressmen, but I sure enjoyed reading this:

SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION = LEAD WEIGHT: I wrote a piece a few weeks ago about why Social Security privatization could be even more devastating for congressional Republicans than most Democrats think. Today Gallup released some polling data suggesting congressional Republicans may be taking a pretty serious hit already:

According to the poll, 37 percent of Americans approve, but 53 percent disapprove, of the way Congress is handling its job. Last month, the comparable figures were 45 percent approve to 48 percent disapprove. The current figures are the lowest that Gallup has measured since September 1999, though approval was as low as 40 percent just last October.

For those keeping score, that's a net 13-point swing in the wrong direction in the last month. But, hey, we're only two weeks into the White House's 60-day Social Security push. There's still plently of time for that number to drop a lot further. ..."

Privatization deserves to be a GOP albatross. They're trying to pass a measure that will rack up trillions in debt and disproportianately hurt their "red" base. Of course, it's always the case that Dems are fighting for the protection of those most likely to be hurt-- and the GOP keeps winning anyway. But they might have struck a serious nerve this time. One that can't be erased by using national security scare tactics or exploiting religion. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they've finally gone too far, and been too ham-handed, in trying to win over the disadvantaged while they pick their pockets. Dems need to start hammering away at privatization and the bankruptcy bill-- this time 'red' voters will actually be able to feel the consequences of voting Republican. And that's a potentially huge advantage.