Harold Ford Joins the Democrats
On December 22, I wrote about prominent Democrats Barak Obama and Harold Ford being touted by the Cato Institute, Fox News, Robert Novak and other right-wing powerhouses as examples of bipartisan support for Social Security privatization. In the post, I called for both Ford and Obama to distance themselves from these claims. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo picked up the piece and ran with it for days. Now Harold Ford has released this statement:"I do not support changing the Social Security system as has been proposed by President Bush, nor do I support Social Security proposals advanced by the CATO Institute. In fact, both of these proposals have the potential to harm current beneficiaries by paying for the transition costs by issuing debt. Piling on more red ink to the existing federal budget deficit and the national debt will do both long and short term harm to our economy. I do believe that the system needs to be reformed but I do not support changing the Social Security system as President Bush has proposed."
It may seem like a small triumph for the blogosphere, but I'm really gratified. It puts an end to any back-room maneuvering that might have been going on out of the public eye, and it makes it that much harder for BushCo. to push its plan to let Wall Street do to Social Security what brother Neil Bush and others did to the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation. (Remember that one? They thought you forgot...)
Props to Harold Ford for standing up and doing the right thing, and not allowing himself to be used as a political tool.
And to bloggers everywhere...
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 12/31/2004 01:40:00 PM
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