Pelosi

Indeed, Pelosi does deserve the credit for saving Social Security. Back in those fun days beltway conventional wisdom was that Democrats HAD TO offer a plan to "save" social security of their own or they'd be DOOMED. This was despite the fact that Bush himself had yet to formally offer a plan. Dirty fucking hippie bloggers knew how this game worked, that if the Democrats offered a plan they'd ensure that something would happen and that something would inevitably be pretty much what Bush wanted. Our plan was to not offer any plan, and in fact go nuclear on any Dem who did try to offer a plan.

Fortunately Pelosi had the same idea.

As the spring of 2005 wore on, some pestered her every week, asking when they were going to release a rival plan.

"Never. Is never good enough for you?" Pelosi defiantly said to one member.