I wanted to write about this last week. And some folks from on the scene had actually sent me some photographs to post. But I was so busy with the site launch that I didn’t manage to get around to it. But the folks down in Louisiana really know how to defend Social Security and have fun at the same time.
Reps. Alexander, Boustany and McCrery are all going along trying to avoid commenting, taking any clear position on, or even acknowledging the 800 pound gorilla in the political room: Social Security and President Bush’s plans to privatize it.
So the Social Security partisans in the area have come up with, well, I guess it’s not actually an 800 pound gorilla. But it is a 28 foot inflatable gorilla. (See a full-sized picture here.) And they’re taking him to stand in front of each congressman’s office to drive home the point of their conspicuous silence on the great issue of the day.
Here, for instance, is the lede from today’s Baton Rouge Advocate (the article also has a cool picture of the Social Security gorilla …
A 28-foot gorilla has begun stalking some of Louisiana’s Republican congressman, starting Tuesday by menacing U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr.’s office in Lafayette’s federal courthouse.
While it wasn’t granting interviews, the bright red inflated gorilla did carry a sign stating its demand: “Don’t monkey around with my Social Security. Say no to $131,458 benefit cut.”
We’re going to try to find out just who came up with this idea. Because they definitely deserve one of our TPM Privatize This! T-Shirts.
Late Update: Here’s another article on all the monkey business.
