If Republicans are smart – and the book is still open on this – they’ll do everything they can over the next two years to entice Democrats to attack the GOP’s Social Security reform ideas.

While a single election doesn’t mark a trend, by any means, there is ample evidence that the Democrats’ old scare tactics just don’t sell anymore. Their election-year demagoguery backfired big time last fall.

So Republican strategists should dare the Democrats to maintain the drumbeat that Republicans are out to destroy Social Security. Goad them into attacking the GOP’s “scary privatization schemes.” After all, there’s election gold in them there lies. Right?

Wrong. The 2002 congressional elections showed clearly that when Republicans stand firm, the Democrats’ rhetoric is exposed for what it is: a cowardly and disingenuous attempt to scare America’s most vulnerable citizens.

Frankly, most seniors have had enough of this rubbish. We know there isn’t a single member of Congress of either party who wants to destroy – or weaken – Social Security. We know our benefits are safe. While we know the GOP reform plan won’t affect us one bit, we also know it will help our grandchildren.

If nothing else, we know something has to be done to prevent the program’s financial collapse. And we know that the Democrats have offered nothing to the debate but criticism of the Republicans.

So on Election Day we sent the Democrats a message: enough already. If you have a plan, we want to see it.

In every House and Senate race where the Democrats tried to club their opponent on Social Security, they failed. This was true across the board, and across the country – from Florida’s so-called Gold Coast district, where 40 percent of all voters are 55 or older, to North Carolina, where Social Security reform advocate Elizabeth Dole handily defeated Clinton budget director Erskine Bowles in the Senate race.

As a result of the November elections, the Republicans are now in control, with a reform-minded president in the White House and majorities in both the House and Senate. The president’s Social Security reform commission has laid out three reasonable options for bringing the 67-year-old program into the 21st century.

While the Democrats need to show that they have something meaningful to contribute to the debate, the Republicans now need to show that they’re more than just talk; they need to stop talking and start fixing.

It would help too if our leaders took a look at what’s happening all over the world – in recent years Great Britain, Australia, Sweden, Mexico, Colombia, Poland and Hungary all have partly privatized their Social Security systems.

The most recent is Germany, which earlier this year legislatively adopted a partial system of personal accounts for workers. France is now considering a similar move and China and Russia – I kid you not – seriously are exploring this option.

Reforming the Social Security system so it’s viable and healthy when our grandchildren retire 50 and 60 years from now will require the expenditure of billions of dollars. But make no mistake: Allowing the paralysis to continue will cost even more.

Our choice is to make the investment now, while it is still possible to modernize the program, or to pay for a massive bailout later.



ABOUT THE WRITER

Hugh C. Newton, a veteran Washington communications executive, is a consultant to the 60 Plus Association (www.60plus.org.), a grass-roots senior citizens’ lobby, and Black America’s Political Action Committee (www.bampac.org). Readers may write to him at 60 Plus, 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 960, Arlington, Va. 22209.

This essay is available to Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service subscribers. Knight Ridder/Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Knight Ridder/Tribune or its editors.



(c) 2003, 60 Plus Association

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services

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