The 2005 Social Security debate that failed

Back in 2005, President Bush started a conversation about Social Security.  In fact, much of what President Bush sounded a lot like President Clinton.

The Democrats did not like President Bush’s ideas. Where is their plan? They don’t have one.

In fact, President Bush’s ideas did not originate from conservative Republicans.   Democratic senators in the 1990′s like Charles Robb, Bob Kerrey, John Breaux and Daniel Patrick Moynihan championed Social Security reform and promoted ideas like “private accounts”.

In ’97, Democrats and Republicans urged President Clinton to tackle the issue.  He didn’t.  He did not want to touch the “third rail” of American politics.

Sooner or later, we have to get out of our ideological trap and see things as they are.

Reality is that President Clinton was right in ’98 and ’99 about Social Security.

Reality is that there were Democrats and Republicans ready to carry the water for Social Security reform during Clinton’s second term.

We can play games or govern.

We need Social Security reform now, as the late Senator Moynahan wrote years ago: