Foiled!
As you know, we have a contest going to see who can get 
a straight answer out of New Jersey senate candidate Tom Kean, Jr. about whether he still supports President Bush’s plan to phase out Social Security and replace it with private accounts (as he did in 2000) or whether he’s changed his position. So I figured, what the hell? I’d like my own TPM t-shirt and mug. So I called Kean’s campaign office today and explained that Kean told two reporters in 2000 that he supported the Bush Social Security plan. And I asked whether he continued to support the Bush phase-out plan or whether he’d changed his position.
The Kean campaign folks were responsive and friendly. But I’m afraid I too failed (yes, I’m man enough to admit it) to get a straight answer.
Kean press secretary Jill Hazelbaker sent me this statement …
Politicians in Washington have done nothing to fix social security. Unlike Bob Menendez, Kean will not sit on the sidelines as the problem gets worse, and he has looked at alternatives to help preserve the solvency of the program — including private accounts. The Kean family has a long history with this issue — Keanâs Grandfather helped craft the first expansion of social security during his tenure in Congress.
Menendez has no plan to save social security, and votes to give social security benefits to illegal aliens. He has also voted twice to increase taxes on Americanâs social security benefits and voted against repealing the 1993 tax increase on social security benefits.
Now, as you can see, Kean’s still not willing to answer a pretty simple question.
It’s cool that his grandfather was a strong Social Security man. But what about the grandson? Does he support the Bush private accounts plan or doesn’t he? Pretty reasonable question since the president and the Social Security chair in the House say they’re going to try to pass it next year when Kean will be serving in the Senate if he wins the election. But Kean’s answer appears to be that it’s going to have to remain a mystery until after he’s elected.
Also, Kean’s statement says “he has looked at alternatives to help preserve the solvency of the program — including private accounts.”
But this doesn’t seem to cut it either. Kean didn’t just have some youthful experimentation with private accounts. He fully inhaled: back in 2000 Kean said he supported private accounts.
Anyone else have any ideas about how to figure out what Kean’s position is? We’re considering raising the prize from a TPM T-shirt and a TPM mug to a TPM T-shirt and two TPM mugs. But we don’t want to be rash.
