President Calls in Mother for Support

As the mother of President Bush and the matriarch of America’s presiding political dynasty, Barbara Bush probably does not rely on Social Security to get by. But on Friday, the former first lady joined her son’s campaign to convince seniors that they need not fear an overhaul of the retirement program.

The 79-year-old first mother said she was worried about what Social Security might mean for future Bushes if the president’s plans were not adopted.

“I’m here because your father and I have 17 grandchildren,” she said. “And we want to know, is someone going to do something about it?”

Joking that he had inherited his father’s eyes but his mother’s mouth, the president assured her that he would remain as stubborn as he was raised to be as he tried to persuade a skeptical Congress to let younger workers divert a portion of their payroll taxes into private investment accounts.

“You’ll see,” he said. “I think you’ll see by the time this is over that there is an interest and a desire, a willingness to take on a tough issue, just like you taught me.”

The mother-son duo engaged in the kind of banter about their relationship that had been a staple of Bush political speeches -- using the mother’s no-nonsense approach to remind audiences of the stubborn quality that made the president popular with supporters. That headstrong behavior, she said, was evident early in his childhood.

“So, now you can see where the president’s tenaciousness comes from -- which people also seem to admire so much,” she said. “It’s what you want in a president; it’s not what you want in a 6-year-old.”

The president also secured the help of his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose popularity in this senior-rich state could help reverse the growing unrest among retirees about the White House proposal. The brothers appeared together Friday morning in Pensacola.

The family bonding was the latest example of how the Bush brothers’ political lives had grown increasingly intertwined.

This week the president entered the debate over the Florida right-to-die case of Terri Schiavo, which has pitted state courts and doctors who wish to let her die against Gov. Bush and religious conservatives who view Schiavo’s fate as a parallel to the abortion debate. The governor won praise from conservatives for pushing through a law in 2003 designed to overrule court rulings that would allow Schiavo to die. Terri’s Law later was ruled unconstitutional by Florida’s Supreme Court.

On Friday the two discussed the matter privately. The president also addressed the Schiavo case with several Florida lawmakers sponsoring federal legislation to intervene in the case, and a spokesman said the White House was monitoring developments.

The president’s visit to Florida was designed to counter recent public opinion surveys that showed growing opposition among seniors to Bush’s plan for worker-owned Social Security accounts. Bush says that the accounts would allow younger workers to earn a greater return, and insists that nothing would change for anyone born after 1950.

That opposition is dragging down overall public support -- particularly in places like Florida, where several Republicans who represent large numbers of Social Security beneficiaries have not backed the Bush plan. White House strategists concede they can’t hope to win legislation this year unless they can convince seniors that they will not lose their benefits.

Florida Democrats chastised Bush for his efforts. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents parts of Broward County, said Barbara Bush’s appearance was a sign of White House desperation, and suggested Republicans who backed Bush’s plan might pay a price in next year’s congressional elections.

“It’s interesting that he has now needed to call in the reinforcements, and has brought his mother into Florida because certainly she engenders more trust than the president does,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Times staff writer Warren Vieth in Washington contributed to this report.