The more you know

One would rightly wonder why, after weeks of campaigning, more people are against the Bush privatization plan than before. Educating the masses, you would think, would bring them to his side, especially if it's as great as he says it is. You'd be wrong:

The portion of Americans who favor private accounts has dropped to 46 percent, down from 54 percent in December, according to the Pew Research Center. Andrew Kohut, the group's president, says opposition is "much higher among those who have heard a lot about the plan than among those who are less familiar with it."

As the public learns more about the Bush plan, their support for it falls. Which would mean Bush would be best served to sit on his hands and not do anything. The less people know, the better off his proposal is.

For those uncertain of the plan, here's a recap:

"There are several phases to this," Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman told U.S. News. The first is to convince the public that Social Security is in trouble. The second phase is to explain the concept of private retirement accounts. (Bush wants to allow workers to divert up to 4 percent of an individual's Social Security payroll taxes into such accounts.) Finally, the administration wants to work with Congress on specific legislation.

(snip)

White House officials aim to build their campaign to a high point in late summer or fall, when congressional committees might mark up Social Security legislation. "This will be a long-term process, not a day-to-day battle," says a senior Bush strategist.

Democrats have their foot on the neck of this plan, and they'd be foolish to let up now. If Bush's sales job manages to last until summer, I'd take it as a bad sign.