Letters to the Editor
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@Che Pasa
Since that's nearly the only thing they have stood their ground on, in all these years, during which they have shredded and pissed on the Constitution continuously, what's the reason for wanting to "preserve" Social Security?
Not the wrath of the People. They simply do not care what the People think about anything.
The politicians are still responding to their constituents. The people (anywhere close to a majority) are simply not angry about the shredding of the Constitution. They would be angry if something bad happened to Social Security.
The opinion polls might show something (e.g., disapproval of illegal surveillance). But opinion apparently does not always translate into changes in the voting behavior or political participation of any significant number of people. Opinion is cheap. Politicians make their guesses. E.g., despite the Democratic-led Congress having a lower approval rating than the President, the politicians are pretty sure that a Democratic majority will be returned to Congress in the 2008 elections. So at this point, that particular public opinion is entirely irrelevant, politically speaking. Only a viable third party challenge would make the approval rating of the Congress into a politically relevant fact, that politicians would respond to.