Moderate Democrats Put Party over Principle

Five years ago a group of moderate Democrats signed onto a declaration of principle
on Social Security at FDR’s old Hyde Park mansion. They said, according to
Michael G. Franc

“We believe in shifting the focus of America’s ... social insurance
programs from transferring wealth to creating wealth.” President Bush couldn’t
have said it better. That’s exactly why he and his allies in Congress have
proposed adding personal retirement accounts to the Social Security system: so workers
can get a better return on their retirement tax dollars.

You can see the full text of the Hyde Park Declaration
here.

So where do Evan Bayh, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu, Joseph Lieberman, and Blanche Lincoln stand
on President Bush’s propsoal to reform Social Security? They have joined the extremist
liberal Democrats who have declared themselves utterly opposed to the President’s program.

No doubt in 2000 they thought they were getting on board with soon-to-be-elected President Gore’s
program. That would be different wouldn’t it.

Of course you can understand why Democrats would be nervous about privatizing Social Security.
If the average American senior got her monthly check from Fidelity rather than from
the U.S. Treasury, why would she vote for a Democrat?