Ok, that didn't work too well.

Back in August I wrote the following:

Democrats are starting to accept the fact that they won't win on the economy, jobs, or health care. So that means it's time to start throwing everything at the wall and see what sticks. First up? Social Security.

I went on to quote an article detailing the coordination at the time between Democratic campaign leadership and their candidates in working to make social security a campaign issue.

This week alone, Democrats are set to host 100 town halls centered on keeping Social Security intact. And they're putting together TV advertisements to air against Republican lawmakers who have supported privatization.

We saw many of these attacks in Ohio races. Space hit Gibbs. Wilson hit Johnson.

Clearly, it didn't work, and I said as much back then. Based on the issues most important to voters, I stated the following:

While the new strategy dreamed up by the Democrats may briefly distract from the issues that matter most to voters, it won't have any significant effect on the elections in November. Does that mean Social Security reform doesn't need addressed? Of course not.

It's simply not a winning issue for the fall.

Turns out I was right. Just ask Politico:

Voters over 65 favored Republicans last week by a 21-point margin after flirting with Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections and favoring John McCain by a relatively narrow 8-point margin in 2008.


Concerned by changes to Medicare and compelled by a Republican Party that promised a return to America’s glory days, seniors played a crucial — and often understated — role in races across the country. They were unswayed by ubiquitous Democratic warnings about Republican changes to Social Security. And they put a series of campaigns out of reach for Democrats.

Ya can't blame the Democrats for trying their scare tactics over social security privatization. After all, with a record like theirs, the politics of distraction and fear is about all they had left.