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Bush Makes New Pitch for Social Security NewsMax.com WiresCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- President Bush insisted Wednesday that public opinion is leaning his way on his proposal for a Social Security overhaul and hinted at political problems for lawmakers who oppose him. Notwithstanding a host of recent polls showing waning public support for his proposal, Bush cited only the part of the surveys that shows the public is - as it long has been - aware of the program's long-term fiscal problems. He only implicitly acknowledged the lingering skittishness among congressional Republicans - and outright opposition from most Democrats - for his proposal to allow younger workers to use a part of their Social Security payroll taxes to set up private retirement accounts. Story Continues Below "To answer the question of the skeptics, we do have a serious problem," Bush said in an interview aired on WMT AM radio here and on WHO NewsRadio in Des Moines. Bush conducted the interview at a local diner, the Spring House Family Restaurant. "Now is the time to fix it," Bush said, "and I think there is a political price for not getting involved in the process. I think there is a political price for saying, `It's not a problem, I'm going to stay away from the table'." Bush flew to Iowa to promote his plan to remake Social Security, holding a town hall meeting that is part of a 60-day national tour by the president and other top administration officials to push his top domestic priority. Bush wants to allow younger workers to set up private investment accounts with part of their Social Security taxes. The president also is calling on Congress to approve a permanent fix to Social Security's solvency problems, something he has acknowledged private accounts will not accomplish. He has not specified what benefit cuts or other changes he supports to address the program's long-term fiscal ills. Timed to coincide with Bush's visit, the AARP held a news conference in Cedar Rapids earlier Wednesday to release the results of a national survey showing significant opposition among its membership to Bush's private accounts plan. "AARP members not only dislike private accounts ... they really dislike them," said AARP research director Jeff Love, research director for the nation's leading lobby for elderly citizens. Other polls have shown that as Bush raises awareness of Social Security's problems, the support for his private account proposal is dropping. As a result, few in Congress - even among the president's party - are signing on to the idea. Bush's stop was in the district of Republican Rep. Jim Leach, who has found skepticism among many constituents for the Social Security changes Bush is pushing. It also took the president to the home state of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley - the man assigned to put his Social Security ideas into a bill that can pass Congress. The Iowa Republican, who was introducing Bush at the event, likewise has found little support among fellow Iowans and has said that the odds are against Congress approving Bush's proposal. Nonetheless, Grassley intends to bring the matter before his committee starting this summer
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