I guess I know how moderate liberals feel when the far left infuriates them. In the Social Security debate, center-right conservatives and libertarians now have to deal with homophobes mixing together attacks on opponents of personal accounts with attacks on gays. Great synergy, guys.
As the New York Times reports, a right-wing group called USA Next plans to spend up to $10 million on commercials and other tactics attacking AARP, the retirees' lobby that's using its own brand of fear-mongering to fight personal social security accounts. One USA Next ad features a photograph of a soldier in camouflage, crossed out by a red X, juxtaposed against a green check mark over two tuxedo-clad men kissing. The caption reads, "The real AARP agenda." In fact, AARP takes no position on same-sex marriage.
The libertarian Cato Institute's Michael Tanner, a leading
advocate of personal accounts, told the Times:
"This is not very bright politics. . . .Introducing homophobia and other things that are not relevant to Social Security reform is not helpful. . . . You need to build a coalition to win this fight. You're not going to get Social Security reform passed just through the right wing of the Republican Party. Groups like gays are disadvantaged by the current system, and I'd think we would want to bring them into the campaign, not insult them."
Hard to argue with that.