Does Rep. Mark Foley of Florida have something he wants to <$NoAd$> tell us?
A few clips …
AP, December 22nd, 2004 …
“To be crassly political, there’s nothing in it for members of Congress,” said Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., predicting that supportive lawmakers would face television ads accusing them of gutting Social Security when they run for re-election. “It will be a very, very tough sell for the president.”
LaHood, a moderate who coasted to re-election in November, is not alone. Of the 232 Republicans who will serve in the House next year, at least 125 to 150 will need “a lot of hand-holding,” said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., who said he supports Bush’s push.
Tom Blackburn, Cox News Service, dateline West Palm Beach, January 2nd, 2005 …
It’s impossible, though, to prepare a sound criticism of Mr. Bush’s plan until he reveals it. Strategically, he seems to be trying to get everyone to accept it before anyone can prepare a sound criticism. He keeps saying that current and near-future retirees will get their Social Security payments as promised.
I lost track of how many times Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., made that point when he was on Steve Pomeranz’s show on WXEL. A lot, though. That’s nice to hear, although current and soon-to-be recipients do have to take it on faith that Mr. Bush can borrow all that money to keep the promise.
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, January 5th, 2005 …
Veteran members of the House from Florida were lining up on both sides of key issues on Tuesday.
Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach, said he hopes Democrats at least will consider changes to Social Security so it can remain solvent for decades to come. He said private accounts should not be ruled out.
Investors Business Daily, January 6th, 2005 …
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., another supporter, says there are 125-130 GOP lawmakers who will need “a lot of hand-holding.”
“I hear a lot from my colleagues, “Bush doesn’t have to run again. We do. Why don’t we kick the can down the road?’ ” Foley said.
Foley just got reelected with almost 70% of the vote in his district. Then again this handy page on the Social Security Administration website says Foley’s 16th district has the 5th largest concentration of Social Security recipients (178,715) in the state.
(Are you glad you found that page? You could say that.)
Late Update: The original version of this post incorrectly stated that the 16th district has the 4th highest concentration of Social Security recipients. It has the 5th highest.
