Flare-Ups in Battle Over Bush's Social Security Plan

WASHINGTON -- An advocacy group, Campaign for America's Future, on Wednesday accused the Republican chairman of the House Social Security subcommittee, Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana, of conflict of interest, saying he had accepted nearly $200,000 in contributions over four years from securities firms and commercial banks that could benefit from President Bush's plan to let workers invest in retirement accounts, The New York Times reported..

On Thursday, the group will begin running newspaper advertisements against McCrery under the headline "Who Does This Man Work For?" in his hometown, Shreveport. In addition, it is using the Internet to raise money for television advertisements.

McCrery responded by accusing the group, which is backed by labor unions and left-leaning philanthropists, including George Soros, of "extreme liberal bias."

Meanwhile, the Cato Institute, the libertarian research organization that has long been a leader in pushing for private Social Security accounts, lashed out at USA Next, a conservative lobbying group that says it plans to spend up to $10 million on commercials and other tactics attacking AARP, the retirees' organization.

But Charlie Jarvis, the president of USA Next, said his group would not back down. "We are going to make sure their members know their position on that and every other issue," he said of AARP, adding, "They can run, but they cannot hide."

-- NYSSCPA.org News Staff

Posted on 2/24/05