On Social Security, Beware the False Progressives

By Daniel Marans

Created 03/29/2011 - 4:14pm

Halloween has come early this year for Wall Street Democrats who are busy disguising their plans to gut Social Security as "progressive"--and smearing Social Security while they're at it. Exhibit A: financial executive Robert Pozen [1], whose 2005 Social Security proposal [2] was so "progressive" it earned the support of none other than George W. Bush.

Pozen recently took to the pages of the Washington Post [1] to admonish progressives to "lead the charge" on Social Security "reform" (read: cuts). Pozen is certainly not the first pseudo-Democrat to champion benefit cuts under the progressive banner. But what makes Pozen's approach so novel is why he thinks progressives should get behind Social Security "reform." Unlike his colleagues at Third Way [3], who erroneously took progressives to task in January for not even recognizing that in 27 years Social Security will have a modest financial shortfall, Pozen hardly even mentions the solvency question.