ELMER GANTRY’S SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
by David Fierst
“ Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. ”
George W. Bush
March 17, 2003
“ If you’re 20 years old, in your mid-20's, and you’re beginning to work, I want you to think about a Social Security system that will be flat bust, bankrupt, unless the United States Congress has the willingness to act now. ”
George W. Bush
January 11, 2005
“He will lie, sir, with such volubility, that you would think truth were a fool.”
SHAKESPEARE,
All ’ s Well that Ends Well
“ It’s not a lie, if you believe it. ”
George Castanza,
Seinfeld character
Social Security “ reforming ” President George W. Bush has become what Sinclair Lewis ’ smarmy preacher in
Elmer Gantry would be in the 21 st century - a television preacher with a fawning congregation numbering in the millions. For those not familiar with
Elmer Gantry, thinking of Jimmy Swaggert’s or Jim Bakker’s shenanigans will serve the same purpose. What makes the
Elmer Gantry comparison so useful, however, is that it chronicles the rise of a “ country boob to influential preacher ” who experiences “ no impediments ” to his success similar to W’s political career. In
Elmer Gantry, Lewis also describes the victory of the worst over the weakest*. Thus, Bush, who has also triumphed over virtually all political foes in his reckless handling of our budget surplus and the war on terror, must be viewed as the bullying leader of an out of control congregation. To stop him before he ruins Social Security, opponents of Bush’s so called “ reform ” must implement 3 crucial strategies: (1) get out the truth about the Social Security system, (2) emphasize that economic justice is a moral issue, and (3) remind people Bush will do or say anything to achieve what he considers a worthwhile goal.
First, as Paul Krugman explains in his January 11, 2005 New York Times’ column, Bush’s tax cut and 2003 Medicare drug bill pose much greater threats to our government ’ s solvency than the modest problems facing the Social Security system. As Krugman previously noted on November 5, 2000, diverting funds into private accounts will immediately create pressure to slash current benefits. Further, Berry Schwartz, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College, reports that the administrative costs of keeping track of the proposed private accounts will be 10 to 30 times the costs of administering the current system. For a complete understanding of the issues surrounding the Social Security crisis, I highly recommend Krugman’s 2003 book
The Great Unraveling and his ongoing New York Times column. For now, suffice it to say the Social Security “ crisis ” began about 2001, co-incidentally, the same time Bush started pressing for his huge tax cuts benefitting
the wealthy.
Secondly, opponents of Bush’s Social Security “ reform ” , and his policies in general, must stress that economic justice is a moral value. One Sunday morning while waiting for the usher to bring the offering plate, a span of about 3 minutes, I found 5 Old Testament references to making sure widows, the poor, etc. were treated fairly.
In fact, Isaiah, Amos and the other Old Testament Prophets
thundered on the topic of social justice with the same fervor
as they prophesied doom to nations that chose to ignore God. Yet, the so-called Religious Right supporting Bush would have us believe God ’ s spokesmen talked of little else except homosexuality. Does anyone really believe that God smiles on those who scheme to cut out Social Security and force old people to eat dog food so the rich won ’ t be deprived of second yachts?
Thirdly, it should be patently clear by now Bush and his advisers will say and do anything to achieve their agenda. What most people overlook when analyzing Bush is Marshall McLuhan’s warning about television - - “ The Medium is the Message. ” In other words, nothing else matters to Bush ’ s congregation except that he is apparently a devoted Christian (who seems nice on the tube). And, in keeping with the entire history of Bush’s life of never being held accountable, how can you blame him when God told him to do it?
It should also be clear that while George W. Bush is George H.W. Bush’s biological son, Ronald Reagan is W’s spiritual father. George W. Bush is also an honors graduate of Ronald Reagan’s “ America is still a place where you can get rich ” seminary. One of the most important courses at this fine institution is the “ Stick the American Taxpayer with the costs of harebrained de-regulatory schemes. ” A case study in this class is, of course, the Savings and Loan debacle sponsored by the Reagan Administration. One of the guest speakers in this class is George Bush ’ s brother, Neil. If George is able to dupe the American people into supporting his Social Security “ reform ” , he will also be a guest lecturer on how he too was able to stick taxpayers with the tab for cleaning up the debacle he dreamed up.
Discerning Christians, especially, should be on guard against the schemes of the Elmer Gantrys of this life. In this age of blurred lines between propaganda and policy, slick public relations emanating from the White House are mistaken for pronouncements of Biblical faith by those who should know better. However, it should be noted that Bush Gantry is a master of the John Birch Society tactic of making it appear the nation ’ s privileged and powerful are the persecuted ones.* How else can the support for the problematic tax cuts be explained? The question ultimately becomes: are we going to let Bush the preacher do to Social Security what he ’ s done to the U.S. budget and Iraq?
* Sinclair Lewis - An American Life
Mark Schorer, McGraw-Hill 1961
** “ Buchismo ” from Boob Jubilee, edited by
Thomas Frank and David Mulcakey,
WW Norton & Company, 2003
