The Carefully Staged Bamboozlepalooza

(LA Times) MILWAUKEE -- As President Bush resumes his cross-country campaigning to promote his vision of Social Security restructuring, it's no secret that he's relying on outside organizations to help provide the supporting cast.

Yet a memo circulated this week among members of one group, Women Impacting Public Policy, illustrates the lengths to which the White House has gone to make sure that the right points are made at the president's public appearances.

"President Bush will be in Rochester, N.Y., for an upcoming event and has called on WIPP for help," the memo to members stated.

It went on to describe several types of workers the White House wanted to appear on stage with Bush, starting with a young wage-earner "who knows that SS could run out before they retire."

Each participant would represent some aspect of Bush's proposal to let younger workers divert a portion of their payroll taxes into individual investment accounts that they would control. The accounts, in turn, would be part of a broader restructuring plan that would slow the growth of benefits to ensure Social Security's solvency.

"Essentially, everybody needs to be under the age of 29," the memo said. It requested an immediate response, because "we will need to get names to the White House."

The solicitation reflected the latest refinement of the White House sales strategy for Social Security, featuring a heightened emphasis on younger workers. The new theme was on full display today as Bush took his Social Security roadshow to Wisconsin, the 26th state he has visited to promote the restructuring.

"You got any thoughts about Social Security?" Bush asked 22-year-old Concordia University senior Christy Paavola, one of five younger workers who appeared on stage with him at the Milwaukee Museum of Art.

"Yes," Paavola replied. "I don't think it's going to be there when I retire, which is really scary."

"Got anything else you want to say?" Bush asked.

"I really like the idea of personal savings accounts," Paavola said.

"You did a heck of a job," Bush said. "You deserve an A."

The president said he intended to continue reminding "youngsters" like Paavola that "they need to get involved in this issue because if the United States Congress does not act, we have saddled a young generation with an incredible burden."
 

 

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Bush's talk-show-style events are a key part of the White House's strategy. They typically feature one Social Security expert and several workers or retirees who sit on stools next to the president and explain why they think the accounts would be a good idea.

Although it is common for advocacy groups and political organizations to spotlight supportive views at public events, the WIPP memo suggests that the White House has provided outside organizations with explicit instructions on the kind of participants it has in mind.

"He would like to visit with local workers about their views on Social Security. The following is some information on who he would like to visit with," it said.

In addition to a younger worker who feared Social Security would run out of money, it said the White House also was looking for parents who wanted to pass on their retirement nest eggs to their children, a single parent not eligible for Social Security spousal benefits, a business owner who pays both the employer and employee share of payroll taxes, and a college senior about to enter the workforce.

"Business/accounting/finance majors are typically the best candidates as they already understand the investment concepts," it said.