Rubin urges Democratic Caucus to Hold Firm in Opposing Bush

Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, the steward of President Clinton’s economic policy, told the House Democratic Caucus yesterday that it needs to continue to “hold firm” in its opposition to President Bush’s effort to reform Social Security and advised the Democrats not to introduce their own plan, according to aides and lawmakers in the meeting.

Rubin, who has gained huge stature in the party for presiding over the national finances during the Clinton boom years, counseled congressional Democrats against engaging Republicans on specifics. He urged them instead to cast the debate in terms of principles, with opposition to deficit spending as their guiding conviction.

“Putting out a Democrat plan on Social Security would be a horrible mistake because right now it’s the president’s principles against our principles,” Rubin said, according to a Democratic leadership aide. The aide added that Rubin told his party colleagues that it would be hard to win a battle of specifics.
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Another leadership aide said, “From a political standpoint, he said, hold firm because you have a difference in principles; their principle is a privatization plan, ours is not to add to the deficit, and there’s not a whole lot of room for compromise.

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/052605/rubin.html

Bush*/Snow ..Greatest Economic Turn around in US History. We be so smart us 'Murkans we knows how to spend our monies.

To present a plan is to give ground that one is needed. Rubin is absolutely right, and the gasbags in the media and on the right in the party are wrong. Don't give these fuckers any ground at all!

We would be fools to go against this kind of driving wedge. This is how it should be used. As a strong battering ram against this admin and its lackeys. We the people are still one of the balancing powers that the Dems are only just starting to use. This SS plan proposed by Bushco is a brilliant mistake and I pray it is used to it's full advantage to completely sway the American public away from these nightmares.

It's in place right now. The structure and details are right there for anyone to see, and it has a 60 year success rate! The numbers to keep it totally solvent for years to come need tweaking perhaps, since Bush insists on removing all tax on wealth, but we've got our plan. It's also pretty popular - people of all income brackets like it! We've got a winner - what have the pugs got? They won't even give the details except that it will cost a shit pile of money.

he* doesn't even have a plan of his* own! Once presented he* will either STEAL the plan or campaign AGAINST IT or BOTH! Whatever he* does his* "plan" will become the "it's not the Dem plan" regardless of any similarities to the Dem plan.

So, with two "plans" in hand, another gang of 14 can do a back room deal and come up with a compromise that gives Bush everything he wants.

That's why we should NOT put out a plan - it opens the door for negotiations. There should be no retreat on this - none.