They're Aren't That Dense

They're just pretending. What's really pissin' 'em off is that people keep calling 'em on this. Reuters (03.30.05):

"U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Wednesday he was confused by resistance to the Bush administration's plans to overhaul the Social Security system, while protesters blasted the proposed private retirement accounts during his stop in Montana. 'Why wouldn't we do this? I have not heard one good reason not to and it's hard to figure out why anybody would oppose it,' he said." Snow Baffled by Resistance to Private Accounts

This has really baffled 'em. Check this out. AP (03.30.05):

"President Bush suggested Wednesday that lawmakers who oppose his proposal for a Social Security overhaul could face political problems as a result." President Makes New Pitch for His Plan to Overhaul Government Retirement Program

Which is a crock. It's just the opposite: lawmakers who support his plan are encountering significant and substantial resistance, which increases dramatically as people learn more about it. Let us not kid ourselves; The President is well aware of the polls, and what they portend. "Timed to coincide with Bush's visit, the AARP held a news conference in Cedar Rapids earlier Wednesday to release the results of a national survey showing significant opposition within its membership to Bush's private accounts plan." "Notwithstanding a host of other, independent polls showing waning public support for his proposal, Bush focuses only on the part of the surveys that shows the public is - as it long has been - aware of the program's long-term fiscal problems. But though he insists he is making headway on the issue, the lingering skittishness among congressional Republicans - and outright opposition from most Democrats - indicates otherwise." See? They don't know what to do so they keep saying the same stuff over and over again. So how are they really doing? Well Reuters is headlining it as a "Struggle", and The White House is talking to AARP (03.30.05):

"White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that top White House officials, such as economic adviser Al Hubbard, have met with representatives of the AARP. "We've reached out to them and have had some good discussions. Hopefully, we'll continue to do so," McClellan said." Bush Takes Social Security Struggle to Iowa

Good discussions? Doubt it. AARP has nothing to talk about. "A new AARP poll found that "most AARP members just don't like private investment accounts that drain funds from Social Security and the more they learn, the less they like them," according to the group's Web site." "The poll, conducted in early March, found that six in 10 of the members opposed the idea of diverting up to $1,300 of their Social Security taxes into a private account. "After learning more about the effects of private accounts, opposition rose to as high as 75 percent," the Web site said."