Fit to impede

There are many theories as to why the Democrats have done so poorly in elections recently. The most compelling one, I think, is that voters simply don’t trust the Democrats to govern. They may think that the Democrats are smarter, more compassionate, and have better ideas, but the crucial element of trust is missing, and not just when it comes to the war on terror.
This Washington Times editorial illustrates why the voters’ distrust of the Democrats is not misplaced. The Dems are now out in force insisting that, in the words of Harry Reid, “we have no crisis” when it comes to Social Security. Yet in 1998, President Clinton was just as emphatic in affirming the existence of “the looming fiscal crisis in Social Security,” noting that it would be “unconscionable” not to deal now with that crisis. The flip-flopping of the party’s leadership over a fairly straightforward accounting issue is further evidence that the Democrats are not fit to lead.
Unfortunately, though, they are fit to impede. Pundits are divided as to whether President Bush can pull off Social Security reform. I don’t believe he can. The crisis Presidents Clinton and Bush describe is about 15 years away. It’s very difficult for politicians and the public they represent to muster the will to deal with a problem that distant unless both parties agree that the problem truly is looming. The Democrats have made it clear that they are unwilling to so agree.