Kerrey’s Case for Entitlement Reform

Michael Gerson, The Washington Post | Link to Article

WASHINGTON — By endorsing Deb Fischer—the surprise winner of Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary—Sarah Palin let a competent candidate slip through her normal screening process. Fischer is no Sharron Angle or Christine O’Donnell—tea party favorites in 2010 who seemed to view accomplishment and deliberation as pernicious establishment vices. Fischer is a tough, effective, respected state legislator—and, in the few polls available so far, is leading her Democratic opponent, Bob Kerrey.

In electing Fischer, Nebraskans would send a staunch, predictable conservative to Washington, which has considerable merit. But Kerrey complicates the choice. Ideological conformity is relatively common in the capital city. Independent thought is rarer. And a Democrat who is keen to confront the nation’s largest challenge—a fiscal crisis driven by entitlement costs—is rarest of all.

To continue reading: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bob-kerreys-case-for-entitlement-reform/2012/05/24/gJQA4EUAoU_story.html