WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- After months of internal debate, congressional Republicans have begun a public campaign to prove to voters that Social Security must be reformed.
House and Senate Republicans have been given a 104-page playbook, "Saving Social Security," that was developed with help from pollsters, marketing experts and communication consultants, the Washington Post reported Monday.
The document suggests lawmakers should promote "personalization" -- which suggests ownership and control -- rather than "privatization," the word Democrats said they would use to fight reform because of its connotations of corporate control.
The White House has tried to reassure wavering congressional Republicans by refining its reform agenda. Bush's proposal would allow younger workers control over how a portion of their payroll taxes is invested and would be similar to a federal plan to which many lawmakers belong.
The president will kick off the drive to reform Social Security in his State of the Union message, and will campaign to sell the idea to voters in states home to six senators party strategists have identified as possible supporters of the Bush program, sources told the Post.
