Republicans were met with serious opposition to the plan to destroy Social Security in their home states and districts last week. The leader of the plan in the Senate, Rick Santorum, really got kicked around in PA week during his town meetings on Social Security according to today's New York Times:
Mr. Santorum complained that he was dogged all week by opponents of the White House plan who dominated news coverage. Mr. Santorum, who is the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership and chairman of the subcommittee on Social Security, was heckled by college students - the very audience the Bush administration was counting on - and peppered with questions from retirees.Imagine that, Rick Santorum. Your constituents are opposed to the plan to gut Social Security and they let you know. And you seem to be irritated about it. Tough shit.
"Clearly the other side is better organized," Mr. Santorum said. "They got people to all these events. They had seniors lined up to ask questions, they had staff people running up passing them notes."
And, shock of all shock to the Republicans: The other side IS organized. The Rs really hate that. They want to do things their way without hearing from those pesky voters.
I'm sure Santorum is scratching that pea brain of his, trying to figure out why he gets hard questions. He was at an event with Bush in Pennsylvania a couple weeks ago and everyone loved the President's plan. Kinda different when the real people, who don't have to sign loyalty oaths, get to express their opinions.
According tho the Times, " Mr. Santorum described himself as encouraged at the level of interest..." Let's all make sure that level of interest is sustained and used to defeat him in November 2006.
