President Bush's looming showdown with Democrats over his proposals to privatize Social Security is heating up. The day after his SOTU extravaganza (which CNN's poll declared a smashing success, with 60 percent approving ... oh, did I mention that twice as many Republicans as Democrats watched Bush's speech and that the same percentages participated in the poll? ... but I digress) Bush took his show on the road to stump for his plan (Hello, Fargo!), the media offered bouquet after analytical bouquet, and the Democrats went on the attack.
Harry Reid is turning out to have quite a left hook. He and Nancy Pelosi gang tackled the president's plan today, but the real test for Reid will be whether he can hold his Senate caucus together to deny Dubya his 60 votes. First thing to do might be to work on that pesky Ben Nelson, the only Senate Dem not to sign a letter to the president opposing his plan. (It will be interesting to see how Bush reacts to a world where he actually needs some Democrats...)
Speaking of Democrats, the DCCC has declared Mr. Bush to be living in a "state of delusion." And here's a good piece by Krugman for good measure, from about a week ago (on the UK's try at pension privatization).
The Social Security debate is now being framed this way: either the sky is falling and only Wall Street investment advisors can save us (Republicans), or the system ain't broke, so leave it the hell alone (Democrats). The truth is somewhere in the middle, of course, but there you go...
On a related note, WaPo apparently erred in its initial analysis of how workers would fare under Bush's plan -- described as being more like a loan than a pension. ... Here's the original, and here's the correction.
On a non-related note, apparently Rumsfeld offered to resign twice ... that's what passes for a bombshell on CNN these days...
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done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
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Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
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sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
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End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
