Liberals routinely accuse conservatives of living in an ideological policy bubble divorced from reality — blasting, for instance, the idea that “tax cuts pay for themselves.” But liberals put on their own ideological blinders at times. One good example is the idea that Social Security has no effect on the deficit. And just as conservatives pressure Republicans into embracing tax orthodoxy, liberals pressure Democrats into a similarly rigid position on Social Security.
In the fall 2007, when then-candidate Barack Obama criticized his primary opponent Hillary Clinton for not having a plan to address what he termed the “Social Security crisis,” liberals swiftly attacked him. In a series of blog posts and a column, Paul Krugman excoriated Obama as a “sucker” who was “out of touch” and “desperately seeking approval from Beltway insiders.”
