‘I MAGINE a world where there’s no punishment for a crime, where thieves can steal from unsuspecting victims without a worry of being caught,” says a concerned voice as menacing visions of street villainy flit across the television screen. “Well, it’s about to happen in Washington.” Some in Congress are getting ready to “raid Social Security,” warns the narrator. “Protect your family’s future. Insist that every penny of the Social Security trust fund go to the people who paid into it.”
The words are familiar, but the sponsors have changed. This fall, it’s the Republicans who are rushing to the rhetorical defense of Social Security. In a series of ads now playing in eight key congressional districts, the GOP is accusing Democrats of the same offense that Democrats have tried for so long to pin on Republicans. And it’s driving the Democrats mad. “It is the most cynical thing I’ve ever seen in my time in politics,” complained minority leader Dick Gephardt on September 29. By the end of October, the GOP had poured about half a million dollars into the effort—not a bad investment, considering that it could save billions.
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