White House seeks people to meet
By ANITA KUMAR
Published February 1, 2005
WASHINGTON - President Bush will hold a "conversation" with five Floridians on Friday night at a Tampa auditorium about the future of Social Security.
You would expect everyone sitting on stage with Bush to agree with him that younger workers should be allowed to take some Social Security money and invest in stocks and bonds. And an e-mail soliciting volunteers Monday shows one way they find the right people.
Recipients of the e-mail sent out to employees at Raymond James were asked to explain how they wanted Social Security changed - not if they wanted it changed.
The request asks those willing to participate to explain what Social Security means to them and provide a short story about how Social Security has impacted their lives.
"Are they ordinary American citizens? Yes and no," said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The White House "will look through the pool for people who say the magic words they want to hear."
At a similar event in Washington last month, Bush spoke to five hand-selected people from around the nation. All of them touted the importance of personal accounts - the crux of Bush's proposal.
The White House declined to say how people are selected for the meetings, which they call "conversations" with the president. They are similar to "Ask President Bush" question-and-answer sessions events held during the campaign, which were criticized in the media for being too Republican-friendly.
"When the president travels outside Washington to participate in a conversation on a particular subject, we would look at individuals who have a vested interest in a particular subject or have an important story to tell," said Taylor Gross, a White House spokesman.
Susan Hartman, a Raymond James financial planning consultant, who belongs to the Securities Industry Association, sent out the e-mail searching for volunteers Monday. Company spokeswoman Tracey Bustamante said the association, not the company, was soliciting volunteers.
The Securities Industry Association, an industry group that represents 600 securities firms, tries to "build and maintain public trust and confidence in the securities markets," according to its Web site. Its members include investment banks, broker-dealers and mutual fund companies, all of whom could benefit from Bush's plan to create accounts.
Bush's schedule shows he will speak at 6 p.m. Friday at the Tampa Convention Center, but that could change. The White House said it would not know until later in the week if the public can attend or if the event is by invitation only.
--Anita Kumar can be reached at kumar@sptimes.com or 202 463-0576.