Finally – Some Republicans Treat Entitlement Reform Seriously

A key element of the political theater surrounding the debt ceiling debate back in the spring was the agreement between the two major parties not to talk about entitlement reform.

No cuts. No tweaks. Not even a blue ribbon panel of experts in sight.

The reasons were entirely political: talking about even modest reforms of Social Security and Medicare bring down the wrath of voters who get those checks. And it will feed the political consultants all they need to produce ads about how candidate X wants to throw grandma off a cliff. It’s cynical, irrational and extremely effective. (RELATED: Car Commercial Becomes An Instant Classic)

Which makes the tentative murmurs emerging from some Republican presidential campaigns about the possibility of perhaps discussing entitlement reforms – but only for future generations – count as something just this side of radical. According to The Washington Post:

…Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Social Security will need to be revamped — but not for people who are near or in retirement.

Former vice president Mike Pence and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley have taken similar positions since launching their presidential campaigns.

Good for them. They are at least attempting to treat the issue seriously. As for the GOP frontrunner….

From the earliest days of his 2016 run, Trump has vowed not to touch either Social Security or Medicare — a break from GOP orthodoxy that has shifted the party’s views — and has more recently hammered DeSantis for wanting to cut the program.

Setting aside the Post’s assertion about “GOP orthodoxy” on entitlements (there is no such thing ) it would be helpful if more candidates in both major parties treated voters like adults capable of engaging difficult issues like entitlement reform than the preferred method: treating voters like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed a steady diet of…manure).

But candidates and their handlers aren’t in the business of being helpful. They are in the business of motivating people to get out and vote. And if that means stampeding them with fears that their Social Security checks might be cut, so be it. (RELATED: In Extraordinary Times, Republicans Must Embrace Extreme Tactics Or Lose)

And as for candidates…none of them wants to relive what happened to the late Rep. Dan Rostenkowski back in the 1980s when a gaggle of angry seniors let him have it in a Chicago area parking lot. The source of their ire: the possibility they might have to pay higher Medicare premiums to support greatly expanded benefits.

That was a long time ago. But the lesson – reinforced with videotape of the event – remains as powerful as ever among members of the political class.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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