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Ads Support Social Security Reform

 By Leigh Strope
 
 Institute for America’s future, October 2, 2002




Images of women, Hispanics, babies and three generations of black men dominate two new Social Security television ads being aired this week in 19 congressional districts by a business-backed group that supports personal investment accounts.

The ad's announcer speaks words such as family, love, security and dignity in the ads, which follow Democratic contentions that changing the nation's retirement system would hurt women and minorities.

 The ads are being paid for by the Coalition for the Modernization and Protection of America's Social Security, or Compass, whose members include the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the United Seniors Association and the Alliance for Worker Retirement Security.

 Spokesman Derrick Max said the group plans to spend $6 million to $8 million on its entire effort, which includes print ads, mailings and events in a number of the districts. He would not say how much the TV ads cost.

One ad highlights the commission that President Bush appointed last year to develop plans to let younger workers invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes in the stock market in 401(k)-type accounts.
"For two decades, some of America's best minds have been working on a solution to the looming Social Security crisis," the ad says as images of The New York Times, Bush and members of the commission flash by. "And after years of debate, bipartisan principles have been agreed upon that will save the system."
Bush has emphasized the bipartisan makeup of his commission, which had eight Republicans and eight Democrats. But many Democrats accused him of stacking the commission because all of the members support the idea of private accounts.
Most ads will start airing Friday in districts in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and
West Virginia. The ads were created by Mark McKinnon, an ad consultant on Bush's 2000 campaign. They will start airing Thursday for two weeks.

Democrats have identified Social Security as an essential campaign issue that can help them take control of Congress in November and they have been aggressively going after the personal accounts idea that Bush and many Republicans favor. Republicans have responded by shelving any debate until after the election.
Compass was formed to counter Democrats' claims that supporters of Bush's idea want to dismantle Social Security.

Opponents of private accounts "have not been as responsible, in my view, as they should have been," said Leanne Abdnor, a member of Bush's commission who serves on Compass' advisory council. The rhetoric "has distracted the American public from the truth.’’

 

 

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