It has certainly taken long enough. With numerous corporate-funded conservative groups pledging to dump tens of millions of dollars in the effort to partially privatize Social Security, a group has finally arisen from the liberal wings to coordinate the defense of FDR's signature program. The Washington Post's Jeffrey H. Birnbaum has the scoop:

The battle lines in the coming war over Social Security have finally been drawn with the creation last week of a new umbrella group that will coordinate attacks on President Bush's drive to create personal investment accounts.

At the urging of Democratic leaders in Congress, a few political campaign veterans have formed Americans United to Protect Social Security. The nonprofit organization with close ties to organized labor plans to raise $25 million to $50 million to pressure lawmakers to vote against Bush's proposal.

[...]

About 200 organizations will coordinate their efforts through the new group. The Media Fund, which raised and spent millions of dollars on anti-Bush advertisements last year, is considering joining, according to one of its principals, Harold Ickes, a former deputy chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

The largest single opponent of the president's plan, the seniors lobby AARP, will operate separately.

It looks like the left has finally figured out the gravity of the situation. The future of the Democratic party and, more importantly, the future of America is at stake, so $50 million dollars is quite insignificant in the long run.