This man thinks he can be president
By 
Mike Pence has decided he’d rather finish 11th than 9th in the first Republican primary:
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, said Thursday that he wants to “reform” Social Security and institute private savings accounts for recipients.
“There are modest reforms in entitlements that can be done without disadvantaging anybody at the point of the need,” Pence told an audience at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors summit in Washington, D.C. “I think the day could come when we could replace the New Deal with a better deal. Literally give younger Americans the ability to take a portion of their Social Security withholdings and put that into a private savings account.”
Video of the event was obtained by the Democratic tracking group American Bridge 21st Century.
The comments mark one of the first policy proposals from Pence as the field for the Republican nomination is fast taking shape.
I assume “contender” is being used in the strictly formal sense.
While promoting incredibly unpopular policies is not going to help him become president, every act of honesty by a prominent Republican hurts the party. Win-win!