So, as Jesse finds out, the Cato and Heritage Social Security calculators are totally misleading. But the real question is, why don’t liberal organizations have similar, albeit less lie-filled, calculators online? Why isn’t the DNC hitting their list with a calculator letting them see what the Bush plan could do to their retirement? Why isn’t Kerry e-mailing the world with his progressive-themed java applets? I mean, not to pick on anyone, but CAP doesn’t even mention Social Security on their front page! The Heritage Foundation, in contrast, has it (along with their !@*!#& calculator) in as prominent a spot as they could find. The right’s institutions, while certainly mendacious, are a hell of a lot more focused than ours.
The calculators, by the way, are a good example of what I was inarticulately arguing earlier about the political adeptness of policy organizations.
