[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    GIVING CYNICAL PLOYS A BAD NAME

  (Mr. DeLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, as much as we may hate to admit it, there is 
no denying that the bald-face, cynical ploy can be as much a part of 
American politics as shaking hands and kissing babies.
  Though cynical ploys are occasionally effective, they are almost 
never pretty. But, Mr. Speaker, the refusal of the national Democratic 
leaders to offer constructive proposals to strengthen and preserve the 
Social Security system is starting to give even cynical ploys a bad 
name.
  After all, the stakes of this debate are not a mere election or two, 
but are instead a looming fiscal crisis and the retirement security of 
a generation of American seniors.
  President Bush and some Republican congressional candidates ran in 
2004 on the issue of retirement security. And the President made Social 
Security the focus of his first State of the Union after his 
reelection.
  From that day on, Democrat leaders have rejected any effort to begin 
bipartisan dialogue on reform and have threatened any of their rank-
and-file Members from so much as discussing the issue with members of 
the AARP, let alone Republican Members.
  From the outset of this debate, Republicans, led by President Bush, 
have held a seat at the table open for congressional Democrats. And 
despite this sincere desire among many Democrats to help, their leaders 
have demanded unquestioned obedience to their obstructionism.
  Just last week, President Bush ended a 60-day tour of our Nation 
explaining to the American people the problems facing Social Security 
and his ideas to help solve those problems. Indeed, he has left open 
for debate, as we have, any productive reform idea to address the 
system's funding and benefit structure, personal retirement accounts, 
and other options.
  President Bush and his party are trying to preserve and strengthen 
Social Security for generations to come, to keep the promise the 
program originally made to the American people 7 decades ago. And since 
January, we Republicans have identified the problems and begun this 
crucial debate by proposing several solution alternatives.
  Meanwhile, the Democrats have ignored problems, offered no solutions, 
and attacked anyone with courage to help. As I said, Mr. Speaker, some 
cynical ploys work and some do not. But as the retirement security of a 
generation of future retirees depends on the honest, sincere work we do 
this year, I think we owe it to them to be a little bit better than 
that.
  So even as Republicans continue our work this month to develop the 
long-term solutions to Social Security troubles, I once again remind 
Democrats willing to work with us that their seat at the table will be 
kept open.

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