Who the other guys are in bed with

Did you know that AARP is not really primarily concerned with Social Security? Neither did we. After all, the AARP partnered with us at Rock the Vote to defend Social Security as we know it.

But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it seems Rock the Vote has been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, the wool has been pulled over our eyes. We know this now because USA Next - the same reputable organization that brought us the Swift Boat Veterans ads attacking former presidential candidate John Kerry's service in Vietnam - says AARP's real agenda is anti-war and pro-gay marriage.

Not that we would have a problem with that agenda - we do not care who marries who, so long as they get Social Security. But here we were just assuming that the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired People would be concerned with retirement. Go figure.

All kidding aside, of course AARP holds Social Security as a primary concern. Any insinuation otherwise is simply preposterous. It's the AARP for goodness sake.

Unfortunately, this new ad from USA Next is just the tip of the iceberg in what is expected be a very a bitter barrage of attack ads and lies coming from pro-privatization advocates. These are the same people telling you their plan is good for you.

But we at Rock the Vote intend to make sure that young people do not let these attack ads stop us from losing the forest in the trees. Unlike those who want you to believe Social Security will self-destruct if we do not kill it first, we have the facts on our side. So rather than attack the privatization backers with some sort of crazy claim that they hate gay people or something like that, we will simply continue to display the facts. Facts like, under the expected proposal to privatize Social Security:

• guaranteed benefits will be cut significantly;
• the transition to privatization will skyrocket the national debt that our generation will inherit by trillions;
• Franklin Roosevelt created Social Security as a safety net insurance system to keep older Americans financially above water and independent - not as a risky investment system;
• those who are most likely to benefit from a private account investment system are the rich (who need a retirement safety net the least).

So as you see, we do not need to throw low blows - the facts hit hard enough.

For more information on the USA Next attach ads and a healthy dose of Social Security humor (always a sure laugh), check out the Daily Show clip "Anti-Social Behavior."

posted by Miles Granderson