Jan. 25, 2005, 11:25PMBush makes Social Security pitch

Meeting with black supporters intended to boost public acceptance for overhaul plans

Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON - Race became a significant factor in the debate over Social Security on Tuesday when President Bush told black leaders that the government retirement program shortchanged blacks, whose relatively shorter lifespan means they pay more in payroll taxes than they eventually receive in benefits.

Bush's comments came during a private White House meeting with 22 black religious and business leaders who backed his re-election last year — marking a new line of argument in the president's attempts to win support for adding worker-owned investment accounts to Social Security.

The conversation demonstrated the White House's determination to build on outreach efforts to blacks that proved effective in battleground states last year, adding Social Security to a list of moral issues — such as opposition to same-sex marriage and support for faith-based social programs — that Republicans see as providing common ground with black conservatives.

White House officials did not release a transcript of the hourlong meeting, but several participants said Bush was adamant that his Social Security plan had special appeal to blacks — and that he intended to make that point in public.

"He brought to our attention that African-Americans in particular need to understand how Social Security in its present condition affects the African-American community," said Michelle Bernard, senior vice president of the conservative Independent Women's Forum, a Washington policy group.

Robert Woodson, who heads the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, said Bush's remarks were well-received.

"He feels that we need to have some options," said Woodson, whose organization focuses on community revitalization effort in low-income areas

Underscoring the rift among black leaders, the president's remarks are likely to meet resistance today when members of the all-Democrat Congressional Black Caucus are scheduled to visit the White House.

Caucus leaders contend that blacks rely disproportionately on disability and survivors' benefits paid by Social Security, and that Bush's changes would jeopardize the entire system — hurting black beneficiaries far more than the private accounts might help them. Furthermore, the White House's opponents argue, the vagaries of the stock market could leave private-account holders with fewer benefits than the current system guarantees.

"We're very concerned that the administration has been less forthcoming on the real impact of these individual accounts on African-American families," said Maya Rockeymoore, vice president of research and programs for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. "When you look at the different ways that African-Americans rely on Social Security ... we're likely to be devastated."

Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., a Black Caucus member, estimated that 68 percent of disabled blacks were being kept out of poverty by current disability benefits, while almost 80 percent of blacks age 65 and older were dependent on Social Security for more than half their income.