The GOP’s Social Security Suicide Mission
Republicans will lose their biggest voting base — all for an issue that doesn’t even need to be fixed.
by Keith Naughton
February 4, 2023, 10:50 PM
Seemingly out of nowhere, “reforming” Social Security has become a point of emphasis for some Washington Republicans. It began to bubble up with Sen. Rick Scott’s policy manifesto and now may take center stage in the fight over the debt ceiling. But Republicans risk political disaster in addressing a problem that might not be what people think it is.
Social Security has long been considered the “third rail” in American politics. Yet Republicans have made occasional forays into “reforming” the system, and “reform” always means cutting benefits or raising taxes. But going solo on Social Security has never worked. For decades, Democrats have successfully demagogued the issue and cost Republicans votes and elections.
The only substantive past Social Security reform was the effort undergone by President Ronald Reagan. After a modest attempt to reduce benefits given to those who retire before 65, Reagan shrewdly proposed a bipartisan commission requiring support from the Democratic speaker of the House. In short, Democrats had to take a big dose of the tax-hike medicine.
Today’s Republicans have done nothing to gather Democrats under their reform tent or to raise public support for their position. How can anyone expect to tackle a major government program like Social Security as if it were one of several bullet items on a list of demands?
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