Social Security is not an issue that requires abstract thought and philosophy to figure out. The key questions just require simple arithmetic to answer. Regarding the system as a whole, are there sufficient funds committed to meet the anticipated obligations? On the individual level, how much did I pay in, what can I expect to get back _ and is this a good deal? The answer to both these questions is "negative." The Social Security Administration itself can provide the numbers to any interested American that in another 15 years the system goes massively into the red. On the personal dimension, anyone can calculate, or get help to calculate, that if they invested the funds they pay into Social Security in risk-free government bonds, they would have twice the funds at retirement than Social Security promises (but doesn't have).
Can it be a surprise that more Americans were attracted to President Bush's honesty on this issue? Social Security has been a sacred cow. It has taken great political courage on the part of our president to be clear with us that this system is broken and that we need to take a new approach by allowing Americans to invest in their own personal retirement account. Despite the simple arithmetic that clearly shows that we have a problem, what did we hear from Sen. Kerry? "Don't worry. I won't raise your taxes. I won't cut your benefits. We'll figure something out. We don't have to change the system. Trust me."
This is the "faith factor" crisis that has bankrupted the Democratic Party. Democrats refuse to let go of the secular religion that they have long been hawking, that Americans should place their faith in government to solve their personal problems. Marketing this illusion has paid the salaries of many Democratic politicians over the years. But illusions have a limited shelf life.
Fewer and fewer Americans are being seduced by the line that their children are not being educated because not enough money is being pumped into the public school system or that health care costs too much because government is not spending enough. More and more Americans are appreciating that no one but they themselves can think about what will happen if they or their kids don't get a good education or about being prepared for life-interrupting occurrences like loss of a job.
The "faith factor" that distinguishes Republicans from Democrats today is a faith in personal responsibility vs. a faith in dependence and government.
The problem for Democrats is once they come clean about the truth here, they'll all have to become Republicans.