More Ramesh:
One heartening thing I’ve seen is that Bush always mentions Social Security reform. I had been concerned that he wasn’t building a mandate for it, when it’s (a) one of the main reasons I’m willing to overlook his spending and (b) one of the things that could make his second term worthwhile domestically. I’m not sure if he is building a mandate–or if the whole “mandate” concept has to be rethought under modern circumstances–but he is talking about personal savings accounts at every stop, and people are cheering.