Social Security fight gets personal
By William M. Welch and Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
The debate over Social Security (news - web sites)'s future is taking on the intensity, mudslinging and personal attacks of last fall's presidential campaign.
Some of the tactics have little connection to the debate's subject: how to shore up the government retirement system, and whether to create private investment accounts.
• A conservative group called USA Next is going after AARP, the chief opponent of President Bush (news - web sites)'s plan to overhaul Social Security. It attacked the seniors group on an issue far removed from retirement security: gay marriage. An Internet ad showed a picture of two men kissing at their apparent wedding with the words, "The real AARP agenda." AARP said it has never taken a position on gay marriage.
• The liberal Campaign for America's Future has begun a campaign attacking a Republican leader who's key to any Social Security legislation: Rep. Jim McCrery (news, bio, voting record) of Louisiana, chairman of the House Social Security subcommittee. The group called him "an emblem of increased corruption in Congress" because financial interests, which could benefit from private accounts, have been among his campaign backers. McCrery, who has voiced concerns about Bush's plan, dismissed the attack as "meritless."
• The AFL-CIO has sought to pick off supporters of the Bush plan by accusing them of profiteering. Earlier this month, brokerage firm Edward Jones dropped out of a coalition supporting private investment accounts after the labor group staged protests at its offices and attacked it for seeking to profit from the accounts.
USA Next previously used money from pharmaceutical companies to lobby for Bush's Medicare prescription drug plan, which passed in 2003. It has hired the same consultants who launched the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ad campaign against Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s Vietnam War record during last year's race for the White House.
In a letter going out this week to conservative activists, USA Next says it will try to undermine AARP by focusing on what it calls a "shameful record of liberal activism." It says AARP is at odds with 38% of its members who, USA Next says, call themselves conservatives. |
