Smoking out Mark Green on Social Security

Congressman Mark Green has done quite a dance on the Social Security issue, despite efforts to get him to take a stand.

He's' one of the few Republicans in the House who hasn't held any public town meetings on the subject. That's probably because he knows the issue is a loser with the voters, and Green wants to be governor.

Thursday night, a group called Wisconsin United to Protect Social Security held a town meeting on the subject in Green Bay, the Congressman's hometown. Green wasn't there, to no one's' surprise. Green said he had a "scheduling conflict." (That's what Congressman Paul Ryan had when he backed out of speaking at a dinner saluting Tom DeLay.) Story.

Green's schedule conflict is that he was in LaCrosse, campaigning for governor. When the LaCrosse Tribune asked him about Social Security, he gave his usual non-answer:

Green said it is "impossible to take a position on a bill that does not exist."I can support personal retirement accounts. The great unanswered question is how they're paid for, and that hasn't been answered yet, certainly by the president," Green said. That from a guy who also said he'd "like to see the governor show more leadership." Story

The Democratic Party continues to count the number of days that Green has ducked the issue. It's safe to add another one today.